魏晉南北朝·唐代의 손, 손톱 미용문화

Abstract

Hands are referred to as a “second face,” offering clues into a variety of social information about a person’s personality, occupation, etc. In China, there are several medieval records that depict the tradition of nail dyeing, and in literature, fair, long and slender hands and nails are suggested as a female beauty ideal. This article sketches out the characteristics of hand and nail beautification culture of the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and Tang Dynasty, through examining 『New Songs from a Jade Terrace』, an anthology of poetry from the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties that offers insight into the research of hand and nail care culture of the time, as well as 『Tang Poetry』, the pinnacle of Chinese literature during the Tang Dynasty. The Wei, Jun, Northern and Southern Dynasties were a period of social turmoil, with the fusion of Hu (non-Han) and Han, and Taoism spreading. 『New Songs from a Jade Terrace』 features several variations of describing fair and slender hands and fingers.The Tang Dynasty was the most powerful and prosperous in Chinese history, driven by an open foreign policy, internationalism, and the strong influence of foreign cultures. We can see slender, long, fair hands and fingernails being depicted in the illustrations of 『Tang Poetry』 and know the characteristics of the hand and nail beautification culture of the time through the descriptions of clear and red fingernails, and the tradition of nail dying using touch-me-nots.