中国的人物画由来已久，并深受古人重视，汉王充便曾谓人物画的功用是：善可为劝，恶可为戒。明代甚多宣传圣贤的图传，作为对功臣的致意。

此本《历代君臣图鉴》清代拓本，哈佛燕京图书馆藏，共三册。第一册为君部分：炎帝神农氏至纪闽王共四十二人。第二、三册为臣部分：后稷至吴临川公共九十四人。墨紙尺寸：23.9 x 20.2 cm。

 

Chinese figure painting has a long history and is highly valued by the ancients. Wang Chong of the Han Dynasty once said that the function of figure painting is: good for persuasion, evil for warning. In Ming Dynasty, many pictures of sages were propagated as a tribute to the meritorious officials.

This book is a rubbish of the Qing Dynasty, collected by the Harvard Yanjing Library. It has three volumes. The first volume is the monarch part: forty-two people from Emperor Yan Shennong to King Ji Min. The second and third volumes are ministers: 94 people from Houji to Wu Linchuan. Ink paper size: 23.9 x 20.2 cm.