孔子说：“孝悌为仁之本”， 指出只要人心存孝悌，就不会犯上作乱。深受儒家思想熏陶的中国人就深信孝悌是一切美德的基础， 是伦理道德的范畴。因此，缅怀祖先亦成为中国人的重要传统。
To Confucius filial piety is fundamental to human compassion and social responsibility. So long as a person has at heart filial piety he is not likely to be anti-social. Most Chinese people follow this teaching and firmly believe filial piety is the root of all virtues and moral values. Accordingly ancestor worshiping is regard as an extension since respects should not end with death!
过去没有照相机，祖先的容貌只能靠画像来留影，因而产生了祖先肖像画。作为让后代子孙瞻仰及缅怀先人的德行，进而提醒后代“勿忘本”； 这就是祖先画的存在价值。
In bygone days before the advent of photography the images of persons could only be reproduced by hand painting. The desire for ancestor worshiping might have led to the birth of portrait painting. It not only facilitated worshiping but served as a reminder of the achievements of ancestors as well as never to forget one's origins. That was the perceived value of ancestor portrait in ancient time.
祖先画里，大多是曾经光耀门楣，当朝为官的先人， 以穿著特定品级的官服入画。因此可以籍以考证衣冠，官秩品级。这类画像的作者名氏都不落款，但他们的肖像画工却是细致生动的，由祖先的眉宇间的神态气质体现，到服饰头饰的细节都刻画入微。
As only the well-to-do and court officials could afford to have their portraits painted, the paintings passed down invariably show the person well-dressed in court costume and identifiable by his rank. All such paintings do not as a rule bear the name of the artist. But without any doubt they were highly accomplished painters. Each piece is meticulously executed showing live-like expression, delicate head dress and accessories.
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| image from internet |
在明清时代，子孙会把祖先画像高挂于大堂。因为视为家传珍宝，也有些大户人家只在年除夕把画和其他珍宝拿出来摆放，到年初五才收藏回库，叫“收珍”， 这也成为中国的民间习俗。即使家道没落，家里的所有物品皆可变卖，唯独祖先画像是不能变卖的。
可惜的是时代变迁，也改变了祖先画像的命运，纷纷流落在外。 祖先画像不再是自己家族里守护敬仰的象征。来到现今，它是艺术品。但我认为它的存在价值和意义却是要比单纯欣赏的艺术品来得更高。它的由来，可以提醒我们去重视儒家思想的伦理教义“百善孝为先”。
During the Ming and Ching Dynasties, such valuable portraits were usually displayed the main hall of the family house. They were treasured as family heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation and never to fall into hands of outsiders. Some families would only display them with other heirlooms once a year on the eve of new year day, but returned quickly to the family vault on the fifth day. Over time this became a custom honored even among the common folks. However time and circumstance change everything. Hard times caused many families to part with their not for sale heirlooms including the once-upon-a-time sacred ancestor paintings.
Monetary value replaced spiritual value!To-day they are seen at best as objects of art to be admired for their beauty. But to me they are more, underlying the artistic beauty is the profound teaching of the sage: ALL GOOD DEEDS BEGIN AT HOME WITH FILIAL PIETY
文：Cara Chua
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