Chinese Scrolls | Ancient Scriptures and Art from Bygone Dynasties

In China a hanging scroll is a traditional way of displaying and exhibiting Chinese art and calligraphy and they have been creating and using scroll paintings as decoration for over two thousand years. Traditionally scrolls are meant to be displayed for shortish periods of time after which they are rolled and tied up until the next season or occasion and are usually not permanantly displayed. The canvas, usually made of paper or silk, can be framed with decorative brocade borders.

In ancient China scrolls were a form of literature and writings utilising bamboo strips and silk banners. The earliest long, vertically hungs scrolls were developed from silk banners and could be found in tombs dating back to the Han Dynasty. By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the structural and aesthetic features of hanging scrolls matured and are still followed by Chinese artists today.