The technical and creative innovations of Chinese potters are unique accomplishments
in the cultural heritage of the world. While those who are not familiar
with Chinese art may find the study of Chinese paintings and bronzes quite
daunting, Chinese ceramics are more accessible and more universally sought
after by museums and collectors alike.
Today, archaeological excavation and research in China are revealing new sites and new examples of the genius of the Chinese potter and the relationship of ceramic arts to Chinese metalwork and painting. Scholars today generally agree that Chinese civilization developed mainly from its own indigenous and distinctive roots.
The Neolithic period flourished with a multiplicity of cultures in different regions dating back to around 5000 BC. Each region developed distinctive phases with local characteristics. Under the unified rule of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC), bronze metallurgy superceded ceramics as the favored art form of the ruling class. Intricately cast sets of bronze vessels were used in ancestor worship rituals and then placed in the tomb to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. Bronze was also employed to create weapons and chariot fittings. By the end of the Shang Dynasty, both the ceramic and the bronze industries had evolved into complex systems of production that were supported by the aristocracy. Decorative designs have rich symbolic meaning and inscriptions provide important historical documentation. Designs created first in bronze were then imitated in clay.
Beginning with the famous life-sized terracotta figures of horses and warriors found at the tomb site of the first Emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi, Chinese burial tradition followed the custom of placing clay replicas of material possessions, animals and people in the tomb to accompany the deceased and serve them in the next life. The size and number of clay sculptures purchases by the family and interred with the deceased was stipulated by complex codes of burial laws. While generally not collected by Chinese connoisseurs due to their negative association with the dead, Chinese clay tomb sculpture has long been enthusiastically collected by Westerners because of its wonderfully detailed depiction of the everyday life and times of ancient China.
Art historians, anthropologists, social historians, economists and others interested in early Chinese civilization all engage in the study of Chinese tomb sculpture. For the connoisseur and collector, tomb sculpture provides a lively, intimate, often humorous and charming window into a world of long ago and far away. From the artifacts created to serve the dead, we can learn about and enjoy the fascinating ways of life of ancient China.
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Website
© 2005 Marc Richards Gallery
Specializing in ancient chinese art and antiquities including
tang dynasty ceramics and han dynasty pottery,
as well as contemporary chinese art.
For more information send email to marc@marcrichards.com
170 S. LaBrea Ave • Los Angeles, CA 90036 • (323) 634 0838