Chinese_Ceramics

Chinese Ceramics The earliest Chinese sculptures were small figures placed in tombs. From the Shang dynasty through the Zhou dynasty (c. 1122-256 B.C.), sculptors created chiefly bronze and jade works. Shang and Zhou artists used bronze to make elaborate sacrificial vessels used in ceremonies for the dead. These works were cast in molds, and most had complicated designs based on animal forms. In 1974, thousands of clay figures of people and horses were discovered near Xi'an in burial pits near the tomb of Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty. These figures, which are the earliest known life-sized Chinese sculptures, date from the 200's B.C. Buddhism reached China from India during the Han period. Sculptors then began to turn their skills to the service of this new religion. Temples were built in or near cities. In rural areas, cliffsides were hollowed out to form elaborate chapels. Sculptors decorated the chapels with figures of Buddha and his attendants. Some sculptures were carved from local stone. Others were molded of clay and painted. Still other sculptures were cast of bronze and coated with gold. As artistic expressions of religious faith, these works rival the finest sculptures in the monasteries and cathedrals of porcelain, chinese, pottery, clay, dynasty, ad, china, bc, during, made, art, ceramic, bronze, vessels, taiwan, sculptors, modern, chen, ceramics, shang, area, yingke, works, sculptures, produced, pieces, period, new, ming, making, figures, early, years, tang, stone