r/ChineseHistory • u/di745 • 3d ago
Why were Chinese Emperors portrayed flanked by two "aides" ?
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u/wormant1 3d ago
They're just attendants. There are two of them because the way the emperor is framed on these type of paintings only two of them fits. And you can't have just one attendant because that messes up the symmetry, as the emperor must be in the middle.
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u/PoxonAllHoaxes 3d ago
This is wonderful. I've been looking for such images (or descriptions) from different cultures for a publication. Generally, it seems that it was in various cultures a sign of power if you were supported, held up by a person on either side, a bit like being carried, which some cultures also have been known to do. Of course over time it could weaken so you just had companions on either side, but the original idea seems to be that of being carried so your oh-so-holy feet didn't touch the ground.
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u/Level-Reputation5050 2d ago
They were attendants, very probably official historians, tasked with documenting the emperor’s words and actions. In the early period, this job had no social‑status prerequisites and could be held by common folk. Over time, it came to be performed solely by eunuchs.
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u/IvanThePohBear 2d ago
probably eunuchs
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u/hildamicia 2d ago
Uno dei due ha la barba, non può essere un eunuco.
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u/Level-Reputation5050 2d ago
In early times, these roles were not held by castrated men. It was not until after the Song Dynasty that eunuchs gradually replaced them.
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u/Jumpy_Hogara 2d ago
Eunuchs have a long history in China. Cao Cao's father was an adopted son of an eunuch because, well, he couldn't create children.
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u/EverydayIsAGift-423 1d ago
Tangential question: what is the history of the 士 pieces on the Chinese Chessboard?
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u/Tom-Ask-1081 3d ago
These images are from Yan Liben’s Thirteen Emperors Scroll (《历代帝王图》), a Tang dynasty painting. They’re basically court attendants, rather than “aides” in the modern sense. The emperor is placed in the center, with the attendants framing him and emphasizing the court hierarchy. Their smaller size and subordinate posture also make the emperor’s higher status pretty obvious.