|
Indepth Arts News:
"The Golden Age of Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People's Republic of China"
2000-02-13 until 2000-05-07
Museum of Fine Art, Houston
Houston, TX,
USA United States of America
More than 200 wondrous objects tell the story of ancient China in The
Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from The
People's Republic of China, one of the most important surveys of art
and archaeology ever lent by China. This major exhibition is of such
magnitude that it will fill all of the main-level galleries in the MFAH's
Law Building. It features many of China's most important archaeological
discoveries, most of which have been excavated in the last 25 years. In
fact, the 'golden age' of Chinese archaeology is occurring right now -
recent and ongoing excavations are uncovering objects of great beauty
and often staggering size, and the discovery of these objects is rewriting
the history of Chinese art and culture. For more than 1,000 years,
scholars believed that cultural development radiated from a single region
- the Yellow River valley in northern China. However, these recent
archaeological finds indicate that very different cultures evolved
simultaneously in various regions throughout China.
Most of the items in the exhibition, which covers the Neolithic Period
through the Liang dynasty (5000 b.c. to a.d. 923), were discovered in
elaborate tombs and in pits - probably used for ritual sacrifice because
many of the objects were burned before they were buried. Upon the
exhibition's premiere at the National Gallery of Art in Washington,
Washington Post reviewer Paul Richard called the works of art
shiveringly fabulous and emphasized the silent, dreadful vastnesses of
time that these objects carry with them. It's that awesome continuity
that one remembers most after walking through this show, he
commented.
The exhibition is organized in four sections related to different eras: the
late prehistoric period; the Bronze Age; Chu and other cultures; and
early Imperial China. Within each section, the objects are organized by
cultures to show how an art like jade carving, for example, differs from
culture to culture.
The first section, 'Late Prehistoric China' (c. 5000-2000 b.c.), traces the
development of painted pottery and jade ornaments created by several
cultures. Excavated from various sites in the Yellow River valley, the
Yangzi River valley to the south, as well as the remote region of
northeast China, these objects provide insights into both daily life and
ritual in early China. Included are painted pottery vessels with
pictographs, an early precursor of Chinese writing. Finds from this
period lend credence to the existence of the 'Jade Age,' a period referred
to in historical narratives written during the Han dynasty. Until the
archaeological discoveries were made, such references were considered
to be myth. In the last few decades, tombs in the Yangzi river basin
have yielded more than 3,000 carved jade objects.
'Bronze Age China' (c. 2000-771 b.c.), the second section, showcases
the discovery and complete mastery of bronze casting in China. Among
the works are stylized human figures, including one impressive figure
that stands nearly nine feet tall (illustrated on page 8). This work is
considered the single most remarkable Chinese archaeological find of the
last decade. The people of southwestern China are the only Bronze Age
society known to have produced large-scale sculptures representing
humans. The sculptures were found in large sacrificial pits that also
contained 60 elephant tusks, more than 50 life-size bronze heads, and 20
bronze masks. Also presented in this section are ornate bronze vessels
from the tomb of Fu Hao, a consort to the Shang dynasty king. Such
vessels were used for ritual offerings of food and wine to honor
ancestors and then were buried with the deceased.
The third section, 'Chu and Other Cultures' (c. 770-221 b.c.), examines
five and a half centuries when the arts flourished. Represented by lavish
bronzes, rich textiles, flamboyant lacquerware, and gold and silver
objects, this epoch has been called the period of 'one hundred flowers
blooming.' Among the outstanding works is a magnificent set of 26
elaborately decorated bronze bells. This section also features
hand-embroidered silk textiles with remarkably vivid colors, even
though they are more than 2,000 years old. The fragments of silk
shrouds and burial costumes from the tomb of a Chu noblewoman
reveal that silk weaving was a highly developed art in Chu domains.
Chu lacquerware in the exhibition includes a picnic chest with dishes,
flasks, and a tray, and a coffin decorated with serpentine dragons and
phoenix-like birds. A text from the first century b.c. reports that
lacquerware then cost 10 times more than bronze because of the
complex process of coating objects with resin from the lac tree.
The final section of the exhibition, 'Early Imperial China' (221 b.c.-a.d.
923), illustrates the political and cultural unification of China. This
section features the renowned, life-size soldiers and horses made of
terra-cotta that were found in the extensive tomb complex of ancient
China's first emperor, Shihuangdi (reigned 246-210 b.c.). Shihuangdi
unified China and created its first centralized government. The first
emperor's massive burial complex, which is still only partially excavated,
reflects his ambitions and accomplishments - more than 7,000 life-size
terra-cotta figures are entombed in three large pits. These warriors are
believed to have been interred as substitutes for sacrificial victims, a
practice from earlier times. This section also includes two jade burial
shrouds that illustrate how similar belief systems had spread throughout
China by the Han dynasty (207 b.c.-a.d. 220). Made within 10 years of
each other but more than 2,000 miles apart, the shrouds demonstrate
that shared beliefs regarding funerary customs linked distant areas of
China. During this period, Buddhism spread across China. Buddhist
sculptures with much of their original paint and gilding are included
here, as is an elegant pair of painted marble reliefs depicting women
musicians and attendants.
Related Links:
| | 
|
