A lacquered plate decorated with dragon patterns, unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, has been put on display at an exhibition in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum.

江西省博物馆上新了一件海昏侯刘贺墓出土的精美龙纹漆盘。

▲Undated photo shows a lacquered plate decorated with dragon patterns, unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, on display at an exhibition in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum. (Xinhua)

The Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 25 A.D.) tomb near Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, is one of the few imperial tombs that have never been looted.

位于中国东部、江西省省会南昌附近的西汉(公元前206年-公元25年)海昏侯墓是为数不多的未被洗劫过的帝王陵墓之一，是中国目前发现的面积最大、保存最好、内涵最丰富的汉代侯国聚落遗址。

In addition to the plate, seven pieces of lacquered woodware from the tomb are also on display at the museum in Nanchang. This is the first batch of lacquered woodware unearthed from the marquis tomb that has been restored and is now ready for display.

同时展出的还有2015年一起出土的7件漆木器。这是海昏侯墓出土、经文保修复达到展陈条件的首批漆木器，是中国漆艺辉煌的实物见证。

Yang Jun, a researcher who led the excavation work at the tomb, said the Western Han Dynasty was the "golden age" in the history of China's lacquerware craft, and the items on display are a testimony to the glory of Chinese lacquer art.

江西省文物考古研究院研究员、南昌西汉海昏侯墓考古队领队杨军说，西汉时期是中国漆工艺史上的“黄金时代”。海昏侯刘贺是汉武帝的孙子，其生活的年代为汉武帝晚期到汉宣帝中期，正是漆艺“黄金时代”中的“黄金时期”。

"The lacquerware produced in the Western Han Dynasty is very exquisite in terms of decorative pattern and manufacturing technique," Yang said.

“就装饰图案和制作工艺而言，西汉中期的漆器制作精良”，杨军说。

He added that more than 3,000 pieces of lacquered woodware were found in the tomb, of which over 1,100 are relatively well preserved. "They filled in the gap in the archeological history of lacquerware discovery in large tombs in the middle and late Western Han Dynasty."

杨军介绍，刘贺墓出土漆木器3000余件，其中保存较为完好、能辨识出器形的有1100余件，是目前已知汉墓中出土漆器品种、数量最多的一处。“海昏侯墓漆器的出土，填补了漆器考古史上西汉中晚期大型墓葬发现的空白，其墓中出土的漆器对研究汉代漆艺具有重大价值。”

"The lacquerware decoration of the Western Han Dynasty is rich in content, including patterns featuring animals, geometry, natural landscapes, plants and story characters," said Hong Shi, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

“西汉漆器纹饰内容丰富，包括动物纹、几何纹、自然景象纹、植物纹和人物故事纹等，其中龙、凤纹都是吉祥的象征。”中国社会科学院考古研究所副研究员洪石说。

As lacquered woodware is usually fragile, experts have been carrying out restoration work on the unearthed woodware since 2015 when the lacquered items were unearthed for the first time, said Li Wenhuan, who is in charge of archaeometry and antique preservation of the marquis tomb.

“由于漆木器的材质脆弱，出土后性状不稳定，自2015年起，文物保护团队一直对出土漆木器持续开展保护修复工作。这次展出的8件漆木器经评估已达到展陈条件”，海昏侯墓科技考古与文物保护负责人李文欢说。

A total of 960 pieces or units of lacquerware, mainly lacquered plates and lacquered ear cups, were included in the first batch of items for restoration and over 100 items have been fully restored so far. The second list of items for restoration includes lacquered boxes, lacquered cosmetic boxes and other exquisite lacquerware.

列入第一批修复计划的漆木器共960件套，以漆盘、漆耳杯为主，目前仅修复了百余件，孔子屏风、贴金漆盒以及扣银漆奁被列入第二批修复名单。

"As our restoration progresses, more antiques will be exhibited for the audience," Li said.

“随着我们修复工作的推进，将会有更多的珍稀文物向观众展出”，李文欢说。

The excavation of the tomb began in 2011. The remains of Liu He, known as the Marquis of Haihun, were found in a coffin in an interior chamber and removed in January 2016 for further research.  

海昏侯墓的挖掘始于2011年。刘贺的遗骸被发现在一个内室的棺材中，并于2016年1月被移走进行进一步研究。

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