CHINA
AND
KOREA
TO 1279
GARDNER 7-2
PP. 187-196
HAN DYNASTY

Soon after the First Emperor’s death
the people revolted against his son
and in 206 BCE established the HAN
DYNASTY

The Han ruled China for four
centuries

The Han integrated the Qin reforms
with a more liberal governing policy

Extended China’s southern and
western boundaries
THE MARQUISE OF DAI

Funeral banner from the Tomb of the
Marquise of Dai, Mawangdui, China,
Han Dynasty, ca. 168 BCE, painted
silk

This T-shaped silk banner was draped
over the coffin of the Marquise of
Dai

Area at the top of cross of T is
heaven, the vertical section below is
the human realm, and the bottom is
the underworld

In the heavenly realm are red sun
and silvery moon
FLASH CARD
#194
WU
FAMILY
SHRINE

The archer Yi and a reception in a mansion, Wu family shrine, Jiaxiang, China Han dynasty, 147-168 CE, rubbing of a stone relief

Han pictorial narratives appear on the walls of the Wu family shrines
art

Carved images of flat polished stone stand out against a flat but rough textured background

The hero Yi shoots down suns to save the earth from scorching and to the right a ceremonial scene in a mansion
-> the emergence of private, non-aristocratic families as patrons of religious and mythological
HAN HOUSES AND PALACES

Model of a house, Han dynasty, first
century CE, painted earthenware

No actual remains of Han building
survive

Ceramic models of houses
deposited in Han tombs and
representations like those in the Wu
family shrines give us a good idea of
Chinese architecture

Sharply projecting tiled roofs resting
on a framework of timber posts,
lintels, and brackets
CHINESE
WOODEN
CONSTRUCTION

Wooden buildings

Pitched/sloping roof

Projecting
overhang/eaves

Post and beams
support the sloping roof

Walls serve no weight
bearing purpose -> act
as screens between
inside and outside and
between rooms

The Period of Disunity

The Period of the Six Dynasties

The Northern and Southern Dynasties

Three names for the period of civil
strife that divided China into
competing states from 220-581 CE

During this period the influence of
Buddhism began to grow in China
and along with Confucianism and
Daoism it will influence Chinese
thought and art
PERIOD OF DISUNITY
ZHAO BUDDHA

Shakyamuni Buddha, from Hebei
Province, Later Zhao dynasty, Period
of Disunity, 338 CE, gilded bronze

This is the earliest datable Chinese
Buddha image

In style and iconography it is derived
from Gandharan prototypes
1.
flat, relief-like handling of the robe’s
heavy concentric folds
2.
The ushnisha/cranial bum
3.
Cross legged position
CHINESE PAINTING
MATERIALS AND
FORMATS

Chinese painting materials were a
round tapered brush, soot-based
ink, and either silk or paper

The formats of Chinese painting
1.
HANGING SCROLLS – display on
walls
2.
HANDSCROLLS – long, narrow
scrolls that unrolled
3.
ALBUM LEAVES – small panels on
paper leaves collected in albums
4.
FANS
LADY
FENG’S
HEROISM

Lady Feng and the Bear, detail of Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies, Period of Disunity,
late 4th century, handscroll, ink and colors on silk

Lady Feng puts herself between the emperor and a bear -> a perfect model of Confucian behavior

Animated, minimal background, focus on inner vitality and spirit
TANG DYNASTY

The Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE was
a unequaled magnificence

Chinese armies marched across
central Asia
FLASHCARD
#195-1
LONGMEN CAVES

Vairocana Buddha, disciples,
and bodhisattvas, Fengxian
Temple, Longmen Caves,
Luoyang, China

Tang Dynasty supported
Buddhism and created the
Longmen cave complex

44’ high seated Buddha carved
into the cliff

Sponsored by Empress Wu
Zetian

Mahayana Cosmic Buddha is
depicted in serene majesty with
suppressed surface detail
LONGMEN CAVES - DETAIL

Massive Buddhist sculptures
in the main grotto
FLASHCARD
#195-2
FLASHCARD
195-3
LONGMEN
CAVES DETAIL

Massive Tang Dynasty
statues of a
bodhisattva, an arhat,
and Vairocana Buddha.
Longmen Caves, Henan
province, China
TANG PAINTING

YAN LIBEN –detail from The Thirteen
Emperors, 650 CE, handscroll

TOMB OF YONGTAI – Palace Ladies, detail of a wall painting,
706 CE
1.
Line drawing
2.
Colored washes

Peaceful scene of court life
3.
Shading of faces and robes to give
volume

No background or setting

Figures are arranged to convey depth and space/paired figures
facing into and out of space also give depth and space
CHINESE EARTHENWARES AND
STONEWARES

No one can rival China for the
length and richness of its ceramic
history

Two types of clay vessels
1.
Earthenware – fired at low
temperature, soft and porous
2.
Stoneware – fired at high
temperature, stone-like hardness
and density
Later around 1300 the Chinese will
develop PORCELAIN a ceramic made
from a fine white clay that produces a
substance like glass or stone with a rich,
shiny surface