Quick Answer: What Is Han Huang’s Five Bulls?
Five Bulls (五牛图, Wǔ Niú Tú), also called Five Oxen, is a Tang-dynasty paper handscroll catalogued to Han Huang (韩滉, Hán Huàng) in the Palace Museum, Beijing.
- Size: The painted field measures 20.8 × 139.8 cm.
- Main subject: Five cattle appear in different poses across a spare field.
- Look first: The central animal faces directly toward the viewer.
The scroll has later inscriptions, but no artist’s signature or seal.
The animals share the same horizontal field without becoming a repeated silhouette. Heads turn in different directions, legs meet the ground differently, and the central frontal view interrupts the sequence of broader side views.
Begin with those changes before assigning a symbolic meaning to the group. Compare bodies, markings and gestures before moving to the scroll’s later history.
Identify the Tang-Dynasty Paper Scroll
The Beijing collection number is 新00087179. The work is catalogued as Tang-dynasty ink and color on paper, 20.8 × 139.8 cm. [1]
Its material is a major reason for its importance: it is identified as the earliest surviving Chinese handscroll painting on paper, with the paper described as hemp-based and consistent with Tang production. [2]
That claim concerns a particular surviving format and material. It should not be expanded into a statement that this is the world’s first painting or the beginning of animal imagery.
The scroll-format guide explains the horizontal support. Here, compare the painted animal field with the longer mounted object, which also carries writing accumulated over time.
The animals remain the principal visual subject. Small surrounding marks and later inscriptions should be distinguished from an extensive painted landscape, which this composition does not provide.
Compare the Five Animals from Left to Right
The following positions describe a full reproduction as it appears on the page. They are viewing labels, not original names for individual cattle.
| 位置 | Visible cue | Useful comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Far left | Brown animal with a red head harness | Follow its forward-facing head and compact body |
| 二品 | Yellow-brown body, head turned back | Compare the neck’s turn with the body’s direction |
| 中央 | Darker animal facing front | Look at the paired horns, eyes and front legs |
| 四品 | Piebald body, raised head | Compare irregular dark patches with the long outer contour |
| Far right | Brown animal with lowered head beside brush | Compare its sloping neck with the raised head nearby |
After finding all five, look across the gaps between them. Each body remains clearly separate, yet the alternating directions keep the eye moving through the group.
The frontal animal is a particularly useful pause. Its narrow, foreshortened body provides a different problem of recognition from the long flanks visible on either side.
Look from the Whole Body to the Muzzle
In the enlarged central detail, folds descend along the frontal animal’s neck, while its muzzle and eyes occupy a much smaller, more concentrated area.
Compare those fine details with the broad curve across its back. The same animal depends on both a large enclosing outline and small marks that establish its face.
The piebald animal offers another comparison. Its large dark patches spread across the flank, but they do not replace the contour that connects shoulder, belly and legs.
The painting-techniques guide develops the different jobs of line and wash. Here, follow one leg from its upper joint to the hoof, then compare it with a nearby area of shaded body.
Look closely at the head and mouth. Small hair-like strokes around the muzzle contrast with the larger, smoother areas of color across the body.
These changes of scale make close viewing rewarding. A full image establishes posture; an enlarged detail reveals how the posture is made convincing through smaller transitions.
Separate Attribution, Interpretation and Survival
The painting has no artist’s signature or seal. A later colophon by Zhao Mengfu (赵孟頫, Zhào Mèng Fǔ) identifies it with the Tang painter. [3]
The inscriptions-and-seals guide explains the role of such later responses. Attribution history should remain distinct from a claim that the painter signed the present sheet.
An association with encouragement of agriculture has been proposed, reflecting the importance of cattle and the painter’s official concerns. It remains an interpretation of purpose rather than a surviving commission statement. [1]
The scroll also has a material history. It left the palace collection in 1900; a 1977 treatment by Sun Chengzhi (孙承枝, Sūn Chéng Zhī) involved cleaning, repair, reintegration and remounting. [3]
Cleaning, repair and remounting are interventions in the physical sheet. The present image is a transmitted and conserved object, as well as a painted arrangement of five animals.
FAQs About Han Huang’s Five Bulls
Why is it called both Five Bulls and Five Oxen?
They are alternative English titles for the same work. The Chinese title names five cattle; the title variation does not establish a separate painting.
Where is the painting kept?
The scroll belongs to the Palace Museum in Beijing, under collection number 新00087179.
Did the artist sign the painting?
No artist’s signature or seal is recorded. Its attribution is part of the work’s later documented history.
出典
[1] Nie Hui; Palace Museum, Beijing. Han Huang: Five Oxen, 新00087179
[2] Yu Hui; Forbidden City2021no2. Spring Ploughing: Han Huang’s Five Oxen, pages28–30
[3] Nie Hui; Palace Museum, Minghuaji. Five Oxen: attribution and conservation history