Qin and Han Dynasties

Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC)
Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD)


Dou Wan and Liu Sheng Tomb
Title: Liu Sheng Tomb
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture):
Culture of Origin: Han China
Medium: N/A
Patron: N/A
Approximate Date: 113 BC
Description:
Both Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan were buried in jade costumes. Jade is believed to be a symbol of immortality. This fact is again another proof of that the people in Han Dynasty was concerned about immortality.

Tomb at Mawangdui
Title: Tomb at Mawangdui
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture): Mawangdui, China
Culture of Origin: Han China
Medium: N/A
Patron: N/A
Approximate Date: 180 BC
Description:
The tomb consisted of multiple layers: a layer of white clay, a layer of charcoal and several layers of lacquered wood. Also the tomb was vacuumed with fire. Therefore the body of Lady Dai was conserved very well. In the tomb of lady Dai archeologist found a T-formed piece of painted silk. The picture on the script is believed to be a guide for a soul of Dai to transport to an upper world (world of immortality).

Zhou China

Zhou China (1050 - 221 BC)
Western Zhou (1050 - 771 BC)
Eastern Zhou (771 - 221 BC)

As time progressed society of Zhou Dynasty was becoming more and more different from the Shang period. This fact can be seen in the decorations of the bronze vessels of that time. One of the Shang traditions that Zhou abandoned was human sacrifice. The concept of two-eyed animal in Zhou dynasty period changed dramatically as ti became more dazzling than terrifying. These trend were usuall the result of the influence on new philosophy (Conficious and Laozi).

Confucius (550 - 478 BC)
Confucius work concentrated on human society based on human relations. Confucianism strongly affected the design of the bronze vessels.The designs were no longer abstract animals. For the first time the bronze vessels started to depict human interacting with animal world as part of the Confucianist duties of a real gentlemen


Lao Zi (6th century, little earlier than Confucius)
Lao Zi was the founder of Daoism. Unlike Confucius Lao Zi was more concerned with the people living in the harmony with universe rather than concentrating on just people themselves. Daoism is a concept of yin and yang. Yin represents everything negative and yang represents everything positive.

Hunting Hu
Title: Hunting Hu
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture):
Culture of Origin: Zhou China
Medium: Bronze
Patron:
Approximate Date: 550 - 211 BC
Description:
The design of Hunting Hu consists of people involved in doing five deeds of real gentlemen according to Confucianism. The five deeds are hunting, riding a horse, fishing, shoot arrows from a bow :) and ...


Title: Hu
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture):
Culture of Origin: Zhou China
Medium: Bronze
Patron:
Approximate Date: 500 - 211 BC
Description:
This particular Hu vessel is a good example of a vessel inspired by Daoism. The crane on the top of the vessel depicts yang and two symmetrical dragons (which are handles) depict yin. The vessel is in harmony with Dao.

Shang China

Anyang
The last capital of Shang Dynasty. Established 1300 BC, abandoned 1050 BC. As the excavations revealed Anyang was full of burial and ritual constructions and administrative palaces.



The Tomb of Lady Hao
Title: Tomb of Lady Hao
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture): Anyang, Henan province, China
Culture of Origin: Shang Dynasty
Medium: N/A
Patron: China
Approximate Date:1300-1050 BC
Description:
The tomb is situated at Anyang. At this point it is the best preserved tomb at Anyang ever excavated. The tomb contains human and dog sacrificials. The tomb's great treasure suggests that Shang dynasty created and maintained vast amounts of great resources. The fact that the Lady Hao's tomb is situated separately from the royal tomb of her husband King Wu Ding suggests that the lady was an outsider and that is confirmed by the objects (horse figures, jade hawk, ) found in the tomb.



Shang dynasty (1750 - 1050 BC). The dynasty considered to be the first proven dynasty in Eastern Europe. The information about the state can be found in the inscriptions on bronze vessels and writing on anymal bones. As was proved the Shang religion was shamanism. The rituals held in Shang were dedicated for ancestors. The tools in that rituals were all decorated with one emblem depicting two-eyed animal known as taotie which is belived to refer to a ruling clan.



Taotie
Title: Taotie
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture): Bronze vessels and other
Culture of Origin: Shand Dynasty
Medium: Bronze
Patron: N/A
Approximate Date: 1750 - 1050 BC
Desription:
The very abstract animal depiction. The animal believed to have two eyes, hands, jaw, and other details vary from one version to another. The animal was probably an emblem of the ruling clan of Shang Dynasty.



Fangding
Title: Fanding
Artist: Unknown
Location(Architecture): N/A
Culture of Origin: Shang Dynasty
Medium: Bronze
Patron: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Approximate Date: 1750 - 1050 BC
Description:
A squared-form bronze vessel. Created with simple piece-mould system

Shang Dynasty TERMS:
Tomb of Lady Hao at Anyang - a tomb of one of the wives of King Wu Ding.

Henan Province - a province in north-east China wich contains Anyang, the former capital of Shang dynasty.

Toatie - two-eyed mask on ritual objects

Shandong Province - coastal province in the Eastern China.

Kui - dragon

Yellow River - the second longest river in China originating from center of China and ending in the far east of China.

Cong - Earth symbol

Bi - Heaven symbol

Yangzi River - the first longest river in China originating from center of China and ending in the far east of China

Piece-mold casting - is technique of casting bronze in which ... I know, but I'm too lazy to write it here

Gu - trumpet-shape upper section, restricted center and flattered lower section (beverages)

Jue - a vessel shape in which a vessel is standing on 3 legs, handles which are perpendicular to a narrow spout (beverages)

Ding - 4 or 3 legged vessel with a cap (food)

Fang ding - squared ding (food)

Gui - bronze vessel type of late Shang with the design covering all the vessel, no leggs and round shape.

Oracle bones - bones on which oracles predict the future

Shamanism - is a religion involving communication with a spirit world

The Indus Valley

Shiva Seal
Title: Shiva Seal
Artist: No artist
Location (Architecture): Unknown
Culture of Origin: Indus Valley
Medium: Steatite
Patron:
Approximate date: 2500 - 1500 B.C.E
Description:
The seal depicts a person sitting in a yoga-like pose around the portrays of various animals. The person is very likely to have three faces - two facing to the sides and one facing straight forward. This particular detail may be associated in a reference to ancient gods of India that were often depicted having multiple faces and hands (common in later Indian culture) (Siva) . Another interesting detail is that while animals appeared on seals were tend to be depicted in precise anatomical fashion, the manner in which the persons are carved is very abstract. This fact is the trend that remained in India for many years to come. It shows the attitude of Indian people towards human beings to be much less significant than toward animals. This fact is very uncommon in other Asian cultures. The seals were used in administrative purposes such as sealing bales and clay products. Therefore the inscriptions are believed to be personal names and administrative ranks of the seal users.



Terra-Cotta Female Figure
Title: Terra-Cotta Female Figure
Artist: No artist
Location (Architecture): Unknown
Culture of Origin: Indus Valley
Medium: Clay
Patron:
Approximate date: 2500 - 1500 B.C.E
Description:
These depictions of women were widespread. Vast amounts of those figures were found in Mohenjo-Daro. The women in those figures are almost nude. They are believed to be devoted to a power of fertility of women.



High Priest
Title: High Priest
Artist: No artist
Location (Architecture): Mohejo-Daro
Culture of Origin: Indus Valley
Medium: Limestone
Patron: National Museum of Pakistan
Approximate date: 2500 - 1500 B.C.E
Description:
The torso of a male person who is believed to be priest or governmental worker. The manner in which the figure is depicted is highly abstractive. The artist was more concerned with the position that the human held rather than the way he looked. It was found in unusually ornamental brickwork.

Male torso from Harappa
Title: Male Torso from Harappa
Artist: No artist
Location (Architecture): Harappa
Culture of Origin: Indus Valley
Medium: Limestone
Patron: National Museum, Neh Delhi, India
Approximate date: 2500 - 1500 B.C.E
Description:
The sculpture shows a dancing male person. There is a theory that the figure may have had several heads, because the pose of the figure is identical to the pose of Shiva, the Lord of Dance, created several thousands years after.


Mahenjo-Daro Great Bath
Title: Great Bath
Artist: No artist
Location (Architecture): Mahenjo-Daro
Culture of Origin: Indus Valley
Medium: Bricks and Gypsum Plaster
Patron: Pakistan
Approximate date: 2500 - 1500 B.C.E
Description:
The Great Bath is 40 feet by 30 feet and was sunk 8 feet below the surface of the surrounding pavement.


Mahenjo-Daro
Title: Mahenjo-Daro
Artist: No artist
Location (Architecture): Mahenjo-Daro
Culture of Origin: Indus Valley
Medium: N/A
Patron: Pakistan
Approximate date: 2500 - 1500 B.C.E
Description:
The city is a greed of east-west and north-south streets. There were small ritual centers, but no evidence of big temples were found. Also no signs of royalty buildings as well tombs were found. The south-eastern city is full of craft workshops, domestic buildings, and private shrines. Another strange fact about Mahenjo-Daro is that there is no evidence of presence of any military buildings. In general the structure of Mahenjo-Daro seems to be very different from big cities in other great dynasties of that time.

Indus Valley TERMS:
Shiva (Siva) -is one of the deities of Hinduism. In art Shiva is usually depicted in deep meditation or dancing.

Intaglio - is the printmaking technique in which the desired picture is cut into the surface and then pressed against deforming surface.