Art is to music what earth is to sky, and though the connection seems irrelevant at first sight, the two are inextricably linked with each other from the very second they spring to life. In the arena of “music graphics,” music makes her soundless appearance wearing the costume of a picture.

As the sole material available, graphical evidence from archaeological exploration has played a vital role in the research of music history. It was not until recent centuries that visual materials played second fiddle to both written materials and musical instruments that were preserved on unparalleled levels.

Evidenced by the large amount of musical images in the painting works of the Tang Dynasty（618 AD - 907 AD）, Ancient Chinese Art has developed a close relationship with the art of music featuring interdependence and common development, thus unfolding a unique aesthetical prospect with Chinese characteristics.

Among all the works with music for a theme, mural art in coffin chambers of the Tang Dynasty remain the most representative. 

For instance, the “Wu Yue Tu” (the traditional Chinese painting of beautiful women to dance and play instruments), excavated from the tomb of Zhang Lichen, portrays two dancers and four instrumentalists. It was renowned as a masterpiece for its delicately modeled features, fluent lines, flamboyant colors and brushwork subtlety.

 

The “Gong Yue Tu” (the traditional Chinese painting of beautiful women playing instruments in the royal palace) depicted ten plump and gorgeous maids, sitting around a long table, reveling, gossiping, sipping, and looking around aimlessly. With the technique of tiexianmiao, the painting chalked up an accurate description of the different postures of different figures while implying the relationship between the principal and the subordinates.This amazing piece of work also reflects the everyday life of the noblewomen in the late Tang Dynasty and embodies the artistic merits of the style that developed around painting beautiful women during this period.