丝路各民族群像
贞观初年，因周边地区前来向唐朝朝贡，唐太宗命画家阎立本绘制了各国使者的形象，并以文字叙述所绘人物的国家，这个图文并茂的图卷就是《职贡图》。同样，敦煌壁画从初唐贞观十六年（642）营建的莫高窟第220窟开始，《维摩诘经变》中前来听法的人物就有身穿不同服饰的各国国王、王子和使者的形象，呈现出丝路各民族的群像。
第220窟的《维摩诘经变》的这一画面，原本是表现维摩诘居士居家称病，各国国王、王子、大臣、长者前往问疾的场景。画中维摩诘居士帐下，前来听法的各国国王、王子和使者，面貌各异，肤色和服饰尽显民族特色。站在队伍最前方的皮肤黝黑者来自南海诸国，其身后穿锦边袍服者来自西域、戴鸟羽冠者来自朝鲜半岛。画面中的人物，实为唐代以前敦煌壁画所未见的各族人物群像，应是敦煌画师根据长安传来的粉本加工而成，是初唐时期往来于丝绸之路上的各族人物的真实写照。既反映出唐朝与周边政权之间的交往，也展现出广义丝绸之路上的各民族往来。
Portrait of Ethnic Groups Along the Silk Road
In the early years of the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, many tribute missions arrived from regions surrounding the Tang, so the emperor ordered painter Yan Liben to depict the images of envoys along with texts describing the countries represented by these figures. This illustrated scroll is known as The Envoy with Tribute Bearers. Similarly, the Dunhuang murals, starting from Cave 220, which was built in 642, feature characters attending sermons in the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra Illustration. These characters include kings, princes, and envoys from various countries dressed in different attire, showcasing the diverse ethnic groups along the Silk Road.
In this scene from the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra Illustration of Cave 220, the original depiction showcases a situation with Vimalakīrti, a revered lay Buddhist, feigning illness at home, with the true intention of taking the opportunity to give preaching while kings, princes, ministers and elders from various countries visit to inquire about his health. In the painting, under Vimalakīrti's canopy, the kings, princes, and envoys attending the sermon exhibit diverse appearances, with varying skin tones and attire reflecting their ethnic characteristics. The person at the front of the line, with dark skin, hails from the South Sea, while those behind him in brocade robes come from the Western Regions, and those wearing feathered crowns are from the Korean Peninsula. The figures depicted in this work represent a diverse array of ethnic groups previously unseen in Dunhuang murals prior to the Tang Dynasty. Experts observe that Dunhuang artists crafted the figures based on the models brought from Chang’an to create an authentic portrayal of the various ethnic groups traveling along the Silk Road during the early Tang period, not only reflecting interactions between the Tang Dynasty and its surrounding cultures but also showcasing the exchanges among the various peoples along the broader Silk Road.
