Ritual object (bi), Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, ca. 2700–2500 B.C.
An important ceremonial object of China's Neolithic culture. Worked from a mottled
green stone identified as nephrite (a form of jade), it bears traces of saw and drill
marks on its otherwise smooth surface that provide a textbook study of early
Chinese lapidary techniques.
In 1982, twenty-five such disks, ranging in size from five to ten inches in diameter,
were excavated from a Liangzhu tomb. Carbon-14 datings for the tomb place it
between 2700 and 2200 B.C. The function and meaning of these disks are unknown.
As late as the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.), jade disks performed a ritual
function in aristocratic burials, where they were placed above the head, below the
feet, and on the chest of the deceased. They were also depicted on painted burial
shrouds of the second century B.C. In these paintings, two dragons thread their way
through a jade disk, going from the netherworld to the celestial realm. This suggests
that jade disks were intended to help the soul of the deceased in its journey to
heaven. Although it is not certain that the disks functioned in this way in Neolithic
times, the enormous labor involved in perfecting their abstract shape and lustrous
finish is striking testimony to the reverence accorded them.
Basin (pen), Majiayao culture, Majiayao phase, ca. 3200–2700 B.C.
Pottery with painted decoration is among the most remarkable of the archaeological
remains from Neolithic cultures that flourished along the banks of the Yellow River.
On the outside wall, "hand" motifs are painted in a natural, fluid brush line; on the
inside wall, an ambiguity between figure and ground is created by the prominent
role of unpainted areas within the overall design.
Clay jar
Large and small two-handled jars, pitchers, bowls, and beakers are the most
common forms produced in the Machang phase of the Majiayao culture. Decorative
motifs on Machang-period wares are largely geometric and include curvilinear
patterns and cross-hatching, and lozenges, triangles, circles, and squares in an
endless array of combinations. The zoomorphic figure in the center of this jar is one
of the more distinctive images in the Machang vocabulary. Four limbs, bent in the
center, are attached to a long torso, capped by a small head. Feathers or some other
type of tufting are found at the end of the upper limbs and at the joints of all four
appendages. These enigmatic motifs are variously interpreted: they are sometimes
explained as abstract representations of natural creatures such as frogs; other
hypotheses suggest that they are symbolic of either the costume worn by a shaman
or the transformation he undergoes during rituals.
Jade plaque
One of the rarest examples of jade from the Hongshan culture of Neolithic China (ca.
3500–2000 B.C.), whose jade carving remained unknown until the 1980s. Hongshan
jades show an extraordinary command of the material and the techniques of carving
it. They are characterized by their intriguing shapes, great attention to detail,
phenomenal subtlety of surface, and engaging tactile quality, all of which are well
demonstrated in the elegant form, fluent lines, subtle luster, and smoothly
modulated grooves of this plaque.
Large ceremonial structures built with rocks and graves lined with stone slabs have
been excavated at Hongshan sites in northeastern China. Jade seems to have played
a particular role in the culture; most, and often the only, artifacts found in Hongshan
burials are jade. Many Hongshan jades are ornaments of some kind: they are either
bracelets or pendants or they have fixings or holes that would allow them to be
attached to the body or to clothing. But the exact function of several other types, this
plaque among them, remains a mystery.
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Wine vessel
Loosely based on the image of a bird, as can be seen from the hooked beak and
glaring eyes at its front, this rare example of a ritual vessel known as a guang was
used to pour wine or other potent beverages in ceremonies linking the rulers of the
Shang dynasty (ca. 1600– 1050 B.C.) with their ancestors and supernatural forces.
The metamorphic imagery that defines this vessel typifies bronzes cast at the late
Shang: the coiled serpents emerging from the wings are accompanied by roaring
tiger-dragons prowling along the sides; the horned bird that serves as a handle
miraculously becomes a short-tailed dragon-serpent. All of these details, carefully
cast in high relief, are set against a low-relief background of linked spirals known as
thundercloud motifs. This container was cast using several ceramic piece molds, a
method that had no parallel in the ancient world. In this technique, ceramic molds
carved with complicated multilayered designs were assembled around an interior
clay core. Molten bronze was then poured into the space left between the mold and
the core. After the bronze had cooled and hardened, the ceramic molds were broken
to reveal the vessels. Time and precision were required to make bronze vessels in
this fashion, and the control of the raw materials, labor, and technology needed to
make such objects was one of the prerogatives of the ruling elite during the Shang
dynasty.
Jade buffalo, late shang
Objects made of jade are thought to have played a ceremonial role in many Late
Neolithic cultures. Harder than steel, jade (or nephrite) is laboriously fashioned by
means of slow abrasion with sand or quartz grit. During the Shang dynasty, artisans
had full command of the artistic and technical language developed in the diverse
Late Neolithic cultures that had jade-working traditions. While many Shang forms
have their origins in earlier works, the carving of three-dimensional animals, used
as charms or decoration, is an innovation that may derive from the interest in
natural forms found in the bronze art of the period. Compact yet powerful, at rest
yet alert, this buffalo illustrates the sophisticated jade working of the period in the
careful depiction of its bulk and presence and the skillful handling of the stone's
natural textures and colors.
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Pendant in the form of a knotted dragon, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.), 3rd
century
A conceptual as well as a technical tour de force, this pendant defies the obdurate
character of jade and makes it appear to be impossibly supple and pliant. The
pendant takes the form of a serpentine dragon, whose body is grooved to resemble
twisted rope. The two ends of the dragon overlap to form a circular ring. One end
has a flattened felinelike head with gaping jaws, bared fangs, and striations marking
the eyebrow and upper lip. The other end loops behind the head and doubles back
in an elegant counter curve. At the bottom of the ring, the sculptor further defies the
nature of the medium by making the body appear to have tied itself in a double knot.
The pendant was suspended from a small horizontal perforation drilled through the
neck of the dragon at the apex of the ring, just behind the juncture of the two ends.
Female Dancer, Western Han dynasty
This figure is a quintessential example of early Chinese sculpture, which found its
highest expression in the third to first centuries B.C. Unlike the geometric approach
of the Greeks, the Chinese sculptors sought to capture the "life spirit" of the human
subject, concentrating on facial expression and a posture that suggests movement—
in this instance, a moment in a dance.
Ritual food container (dui), Eastern Zhou dynasty
Three small animals cast in the round embellish the dome-shaped lid of this
bronze dui, or ritual food container. The animals also function as feet when the lid is
inverted to serve as a tray. The surface of the vessel, a round bowl supported on a
ring foot, is elaborately decorated with paired dragons and rolling curls. The
composition of bone black and lacquer that fills the cast depressions of the design
enhances the interplay between figure and ground. The sumptuous decoration was
a major innovation in China's bronze tradition during the late Eastern Zhou dynasty,
when Chinese craftsmen, inspired by the nomadic art of the steppes, added rich,
colorful, and sophisticated designs to the surfaces of otherwise austere bronzes. By
then, the function of bronze vessels had also changed, and they were seen more as
symbols of wealth and status than simply as paraphernalia for solemn rituals.
Each of these has own slide:
Maitreya Buddha
This sculpture, which is the largest early gilt bronze statue known from China,
remains one of the best examples of the use of a distinctive style of drapery in
Chinese art from about 460 to 490. The Buddha stands with his feet on an upturned
lotus base set above a two-tiered pedestal. He has wide shoulders, a defined waist,
and long legs and arms, and wears three garments: a long sarong-like
undergarment, an intermediary piece, and a large rectangular shawl that is draped
across the back and front and falls over his proper left shoulder. The folds of the
shawl, which are shown as appliqué-like bands with a thin crease in the center, are
distinctively patterned: they fall in inverted, interconnected lunettes over the chest
and abdomen, and as vertical pleats along the sides of the torso. Those covering the
shoulders and upper arms end in unusual flame-like forms. The rendering of the
Buddha's physique derives from Indian traditions; however, the dramatically
stylized patterns seen in the drapery can be traced to the art of Pakistan, and to
related traditions at centers such as Kucha on the northern branch of the Silk Road.
Maitreya is one of the more interesting deities in Buddhism. He is worshipped both
as a bodhisattva (someone on the path to enlightenment) in this world and as a
Buddha. Once our cosmic era has destroyed itself, he will be reborn as the teaching
Buddha of the next great period. The identification of this sculpture as a
representation of the Buddha Maitreya is based on a large dedicatory inscription at
the back of the base, which also gives the date 486
Central watchtower
The most important manifestation of Han imperial order was architecture: vast
palatial complexes, towered gateways, and city walls were built as symbols of power
and prestige as well as for defense.
This glazed ceramic model of a watchtower shows all the essential features of Han
architecture. The basic unit is an enclosure defined by four corner piers with a
widely overhanging tile roof supported by a system of cantilevered brackets. In
addition, the house has a second roof over the first story, which is elevated on a
stepped platform; an exterior staircase; elaborate latticework screens that shield
the third story; and a circular central window on the top floor.
A great variety of architectural models were placed in Han tombs for use in the
afterlife. This imposing mansion symbolizes the high status of the person buried in
the tomb. Stylistically, the date and northern Chinese provenance of this house are
confirmed by a number of archaeologically excavated pieces, most notably a greenglazed model of a four-story tower discovered in an Eastern Han tomb in Gaotang
County, eastern Shandong Province.
Liubo Board
This square ceramic board and twelve game tiles found in a tomb replicate the
popular Han-dynasty pastime called liubo. The exact rules and goals of this "game of
sixes" remain a mystery, but it engaged at least two players across a board etched
with cosmological markings resembling those used for divination. Each player used
six sticks and six tiles and it is possible that dice and tallies, accumulated in a bowl
for each player to keep score, were also part of the game. A player tossed the sticks
on the board and read their pattern, imitating Daoist divination practices that were
widespread during the Han dynasty.
While some models of liubo boards found in Han tombs are flat and placed on top of
a low dais or table, small feet below elevate this one to a comfortable height for clay
models of players sitting or kneeling on opposite sides. The etched lines on the
surface are painted in red.
The historian Sima Qian (ca. 145–86 B.C.) tells a legend of a Shang-dynasty (1600–
1100 B.C.) emperor who forced his subjects to play liubo using pieces shaped like
the gods. Not daring to overcome the emperor, his opponents would let him win,
and the emperor then declared he was victorious over the gods themselves.
Whatever its origins, the game continued to be popular throughout the Warring
States period (ca. 475–221 B.C.), and reached its height of fashion in elite as well as
common circles during the Han dynasty. In addition to ceramic models in Han
tombs, references to the game have been preserved in poems and in pictorial
depictions carved in stone. The popularity of liubo plummeted mysteriously during
the third century A.D., and vanished altogether within a century.
Night shining white (horse painting)
Han Gan, a leading horse painter of the Tang dynasty (618–906), was known for
portraying not only the physical likeness of a horse but also its spirit. This painting,
the most famous work attributed to the artist, is a portrait of Night-Shining White, a
favorite charger of the emperor Xuanzong (r. 712–56). The fiery-tempered steed,
with its burning eye, flaring nostrils, and dancing hooves, epitomizes Chinese myths
about imported "celestial steeds" that "sweat blood" and were really dragons in
disguise.
Han Gan is said to have preferred visits to the stables over the study of earlier
paintings of horses, and his keen observation of actual animals is confirmed by his
accurate rendering of equine movement. But Han's largely profile image and his
reduction of the animal's anatomy to a series of abstract curves transform NightShining White into an archetypal "dragon steed."
The numerous seals and inscriptions added to the painting and its borders by later
owners and experts are a distinctive feature of Chinese collecting and
connoisseurship. While collectors are sometimes overzealous in showing their
appreciation in this manner, the addition of seals and comments by later viewers
served to record a work's transmission and offers vivid testimony of an artwork's
continuing impact on later generations.
Luohan
Buddhist tradition tells of groups of 16, 18, or 500 luohans who were commanded
by Buddha to await the coming of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. This promise of
salvation held great appeal to Chinese Buddhists at the end of the ninth century, for
they had just been through a period a great persecution, and a cult built around
the luohans as guardians gained momentum at that time.
The Museum has two statues from a group of seated luohans purportedly found in a
mountain cave near Yizhou, (now known as Yixian) in Hebei Province, and dating
from this unsettled period. The polychromatic glaze covering the figures has strong
parallels to the well-known sancai, or three-color, tradition found in earlier Tangdynasty funerary figures. The high quality of the designs and the use of
sophisticated techniques such as reinforcing rods have long led scholars to
speculate that this example, and others from the set, may have been made at one of
the imperial kilns, where large firing chambers and highly skilled craftsmen were
available.
Floral Medallions Textile
This textile is a magnificent example of Chinese silk of the high Tang period. The
floral medallion is ubiquitous in Tang textiles and decorative arts. Both the
medallion and its individual elements came from the eastern Mediterranean and
were transmitted through Central Asia in the early centuries of the Christian era. By
the beginning of the eighth century, the "Chinese" floral medallion was found in
eastern Central Asia, which was then part of the Tang empire.
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Silver service
Prior to the Tang dynasty (618–906), bronze, jade, and lacquer were the most highly
prized materials, and silver and gold were used only sporadically, primarily for
inlay. Close ties among China, Persia, and the regions northwest of India developed
during the fifth and sixth centuries and led to the introduction of vessels and
utensils of gold and of silver that were frequently emulated in the seventh and
eighth centuries. Silver vessels produced during the Song period (960–1279) were
used mainly for formal entertaining. This set of two plates, two small bowls, and a
large bowl with a stand is likely to have been made in one of the cities along the
lower reaches of the Yangzi River. These prosperous cities had become centers for
the manufacture of luxury goods at the beginning of the dynasty. Particularly
noteworthy is the prominence of bamboo in the ornament, as this plant became a
popular motif in the decorative arts only in the late eleventh century. The single
trace of an earlier tradition, going back to the Tang dynasty, is the use of gilding over
the areas of the designs.
Celadon vase
This is one of the finest examples of a ceramic type known as northern celadon
ware. The swelling body, the important but subtle glaze, and the complex design
that covers the surface of this elegant ewer complement one another. The glaze,
which derives its color from iron, collects in thicker pools, where more clay has been
hollowed out to create the carved patterns, thus accenting the design.
Scholar by a waterfall – ink on silk
Ma Yuan, a fourth-generation member of a family of painters, was a leading artist at
the Southern Song painting academy in Hangzhou. A city of unsurpassed beauty,
Hangzhou was graced with pavilions, gardens, and scenic vistas. In this album leaf,
which shows a gentleman in a gardenlike setting, the jagged rhythms of the pine
tree and garden contrast with the quiet mood of the scholar, who gazes pensively
into the bubbling rapids of the cascade.
Taoism slide – happiness of 2 fishes
It stresses the concept of nonaction or noninterference with the natural order of
things. Dao, usually translated as the Way, may be understood as the path to
achieving a state of enlightenment resulting inlongevity or even immortality.
But Dao, as something ineffable, shapeless, and conceived of as an infinite void, may
also be understood as the unfathomable origin of the world and as the progenitor of
the dualistic forces yin and yang.Yin, associated with shade, water, west, and the
tiger, and yang, associated with light, fire, east, and the dragon, are the two
alternating phases of cosmic energy; their dynamic balance brings cosmic harmony.
Nature in chinese art slide – read text