Five Oxen
Five Oxen is a color handscroll drawn by Tang-dynasty politician and painter Han Huang (723-787) on a piece of yellow linen paper. It is the oldest paper painting surviving to this day.
The painting depicts five oxen with different postures: One stands with its heads up, another sticks out its tongue while looking back, one walks with its head held high, another leans down to scratch against a rock, and the one in the middle is the most special—it seems to be gazing at the viewer.
The entire painting displays an accurate perspective. The five oxen radiate with vitality and dynamics. The thick and varied lines, the shades of color, and the detailed depiction of the eyes and fur all reflect the painter's superb skills.
The scroll painting was successively collected by the royal courts of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and the Qing Dynasty as well as by such famous painters and collectors as Zhao Mengfu and Xiang Yuanbian. It was plundered in wartime at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1950, then Premier Zhou Enlai received a letter from a patriot who revealed that Five Oxen was about to be auctioned in Hong Kong. Zhou immediately ordered action to prevent the national treasure from being lost again at all costs.
After expert appraisal and several rounds of negotiations, the painting was brought back to Beijing at a price of HK$60,000. By that time, however, the painting had been severely damaged. It was finally restored thanks to the careful repairing and remounting by experts from the Palace Museum.
Five Oxen represents the pinnacle of ox-themed painting in the mid- and late Tang Dynasty and has been listed as one of the "Top Ten Famous Paintings of All Ages in China". Through the painting, viewers can sense a hint of sympathy that the painter, who was a prime minister, held for the hardships of the common people, while admiring the virtues of simplicity, kindness, and loyalty often associated with oxen.
《五牛图》
《五牛图》是唐代政治家、画家韩滉（723—787）的传世画作，黄麻纸本设色手卷，是现存最早的纸本绘画。
画面描绘了五头神态各异的牛，一络首而立、一回首舐舌、一昂头行走、一俯身蹭痒，中间一牛最为特别，正对观画者，准确表现透视关系。五头牛神采奕奕，动态十足。厚重多变的线条、浓淡晕染的色彩、对于眼睛和毛皮的细节刻画，均体现出作者高超的造型能力。
该卷经南宋内府、清代内府及名家赵孟頫、项元汴等收藏，清末因战争被掠走。1950年，周恩来总理收到爱国人士来信，得知《五牛图》即将在香港出售的消息，立即下达指示，要求不惜一切代价阻止国宝流失。经专家鉴定和多次交涉，最终以6万港币购回祖国，但此时的《五牛图》已残破不堪，经过故宫专家精心修复与重裱，终于恢复了完整面目。
《五牛图》代表了中晚唐时期以牛为主题绘画的巅峰水平，被列为“中国十大传世名画”之一。观众得以透过《五牛图》了解宰相韩滉对“民生多艰”的关注，学习牛身上具备的朴实无华、善良忠诚的宝贵精神。
