Stone Carvings and Pottery Sculptures

Stone Carvings and Pottery Sculptures

In ancient China, the deaths of emperors or their relatives were important events. Emperors took many of their belongings into their graves, a custom similar to that of the ancient pharaohs in Egypt. One important difference, however, was that Chinese emperors did not hope to keep their bodies in shape to continue their life after death. They did not make corpses into mummies but paid attention to the continuity of spiritual life.

The construction of large tombs for emperors and the pottery figures inside them can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Qin terra-cotta warriors and horses discussed above reflect an important aspect of this burial culture. From the Han Dynasty onwards, tombs built aboveground became more important. The catacombs of emperors include many implements, pottery figures, and martial implements outside the coffin chambers showing the lordliness and prestige of emperors and nobles. The carvings on the tomb of Huo Qubing (霍去病) are similar to the carvings on the ground, but their meaning is different from the stone carvings of the emperors' tombs: The former is more narrative while the latter aims to protect the tomb. Stone carvings were not used to protect the tomb until the Eastern Han Dynasty. Most of the carvings that have survived are those in front of the tombs of magistrates.

The sculpture in emperors' tombs made bigger strides during the Northern and Southern Dynasty especially in the Southern. It developed important patterns and reached the height of its power and splendor in the Tang Dynasty.

Guard beast figures in the Wei, Jin, Northern, and Southern Dynasties

Although the Qin and Han dynasties represent the first peak of construction of emperors' tombs, most of them were underground. Above ground, stone carvings did not appear until the Han Dynasty and became predominant during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

The funeral system of the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties was similar to that of the Han Dynasty, but it had gradually formed the common practice of large-scale stone carvings to protect the tombs. The tombs included tombstones and huge stone beasts (Tianlu (天禄), Kylin (麒麟), and Bixie (辟邪), three mythical animals in ancient Chinese mythology.)

Kylin and Bixie was based on mythological animals, but their body shapes are bigger and are more ferocious, representing the style of the period. The Southern Dynasties refer to a series of regimes in southern China from about the fifth to the sixth century and includes the Liu, Song, Southern Qi, Liang, and dynasties. The Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties governed during a time of much chaos. Countries were created, others disappeared, some split up, some were broken. However, culture and art were full of vigor. During the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties ideology, culture, and art, combined and developed.

The stone carvings in tombs of the Southern Dynasty were carved for the tombs of emperors and rajahs. The stone carvings at both sides of the tombs were called tombstone carvings. These were only carved for emperors and rajahs. As a result, they were exquisitely carved with huge bodies to symbolize dignity. Some 33 stone carvings have been found in Jiangsu Province, 11 of which were in Nanjing. These pieces could have been carved as far back as the Liu Song period, more than 1,500 years ago.

Most tombs of Chinese emperors face south. The stone carvings include stone beasts protecting the tomb, columns, and monuments. The stone beasts are known as Tianlu (天禄), Kylin (麒麟), and Bixie (辟邪). They are tall with their heads raised proudly, mouths open and piercing eyes. Both sides of their stomachs are engraved with two wings with four feet crossed. The head of Tianlu has a pair of horns, Kylin has one horn and Bixie none. Tianlu, also known as heavenly deer, is a legendary divine beast and symbolizes the mandate of Heaven and a high position. Kylin is also auspicious. It first appeared early in the Warring States period, more than 2,500 years ago. These stone beasts protect the tombs and demonstrate the supreme authority of the owner. In tombs of the Southern Dynasty, Tianlu and Kylin were sculpted on the tombs of the emperors and Bixie in the tombs of feudal lords, which were rigidly stratified.

In Jiangsu Province, there is a saying that Danyang is well known for Kylin and Nanjing famous for Bixie. The Xiao family, emperors of Qi and Liang, were buried in their hometown of Danyang. Their tombs were carved with Tianlu and Kylin. Most tombs of Qi and Liang feudal lords are in Nanjing and the trademark patterns of Bixie are visible everywhere in the city. The city's emblem uses Bixie as a major pattern.

Danyang's Tianlu and Kylin stone beasts are excellent examples of work found in emperor tombs from the Southern Dynasties, of which the Xi'an, Yong'an and Jing' tombs are the most representative tombs. The Kylin is well preserved, large and S-shaped, which is pretty and tall.

The Bixie in Nanjing looks strong and remarkable. The stone carvings of the tombs of Xiao Hong, Xiao Rong, Xiao-Jing and Xiao Ji are of the most vivid and representative. The Bixie on the tomb of Xiao Hong is 3.2 meters long, 2.84 meters tall, and 3.35 meters at its waist. It weighs more than 15 tons. The Bixie raises its head proudly with its long tongue out of its mouth and closes to its chest, looking powerful and imposing.

The engraving technique is skillful and creates a new type of Chinese sculpture. The parts and the whole are very harmonious, showing asymmetric beauty. In addition to the tomb-guarding beasts, tomb columns and tombstones were other types of stone carvings during the Southern Dynasty. The stone columns of Emperor Xiaojing, Emperor Jianwen of Liang and the Xiaoji tomb column in Jurong is the most famous.

There are only four stone columns left in Emperor Xiaojing's tomb. These columns are 6.50m high and have a diameter of 2.4m girth. They are divided into the base, body, and cover of the column. From the shape and decoration of stone columns of the Southern Dynasties, we can see that the style was indirectly affected by the cultures of ancient Greece and India. Exchanges between occidental and oriental countries were very extensive. The sculpture of the lotus throne was influenced by Buddhist art.

Most funeral objects and artwork in ancient Chinese coffin chambers are pottery figures. The pottery figures from the Northern Dynasties inherited from the Han Dynasty a tradition of carving expressions. The pottery figures include maids, musicians, warriors, troopers, bodyguards, servants, oxcarts, horses, camels, etc. The maid images are similar to the stone carvings of Buddha in their facial form, expression, and posture. Female figures are pretty and slim, different from the plump beauty valued during the Tang Dynasty.

As a whole, sculptural art from the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties forms a link between sculptures from the preceding Eastern and Western Han dynasties and the following Sui and Tang dynasties. There are more than 20 emperor tombs and stone statues near Nanjing, forming the body of stone sculpture work from the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The style of the stone carvings in the emperor tombs from the Southern Dynasties discovered in Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi and other places are different from that of the Northern Dynasty. The unearthed stone tomb doors, kistvaens and kistvaen beds from the Northern Dynasties have great artistic value.

Emperor stone carvings in the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty brought with it the second hide tide of emperor tombs in Chinese history. The architectural style of these tombs further developed the form of the Wei, Jin, Northern, and Southern Dynasties. The Eighteen Imperial Tombs of the Tang Dynasty include the tomb of the Empress Wu Zetian and those of another 17 Tang emperors. They were buried on the northern bank of Weishui River, Shaanxi Province. They are known as "Eighteen Imperial Tombs at Guanzhong."

The tombs of Tang Dynasty emperors were built near mountains to take advantage of the natural land formations, the Qianling Mausoleum, the tomb of the third Tang emperor, Li Zhi, and Empress Wu Zetian, are located on the peak of lofty Liangshan Mountain, about twenty or thirty meters higher than the mausoleums from the Qin and Han dynasties.

Qianling was originally enclosed by two walls. Investigation and prospecting uncovered remains of the inner wall, four gates, a sacrificial hall and some corner parts of the outer wall. The southern gate was called Zhu Que Men (Rosefinch Gate), and it was a place to hold a sacrificial ceremony. Numerous buried tombs are distributed between the first and second gates. The number of tombs accompanying that of Tang Taizong (599-649) is 167.

The stone carvings and inscriptions in the Tang Dynasty emperor tombs occupy an important place in the history of Chinese sculpture. The best of them are represented by the stone carvings of the Six Steeds of the Zhaoling Mausoleum, the Stone Lion at the Shunling Mausoleum and the Shendao (Sacred Way) Carved Stone of the Qianling Mausoleum, representing the artistic level and elegance of emperors' mausoleums from the Tang Dynasty.

Six Steeds of the Zhaoling Mausoleum

Zhaoling is the mausoleum of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin. He was one of China's great emperors. Under his reign, the famous rule of Zhenguan emerged (Zhen- guan is the name of his era), which laid a solid foundation for the economic and cultural development of the Tang Dynasty. The construction of Zhaoling is luxurious and majestic.

The six steeds represent the precious warhorses of Taizong, on which he fought the battles for the unification of China. Emperor Taizong ordered the stone carvings of the six steeds to be put right beside the mausoleum when construction began to commemorate the battle achievements of these horses. The six horses are Telebiao, Qingzhui, Shifachi, Saluzi, Quanmaoguo, and Baitiwu.

The steeds had different horsehair colors, vigorous posture, and extraordinary temperament. The last two stone horses were stolen and sold abroad in 1914 and are now on display at the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Museum. The postures, characters, and gallop of the horses are depicted vividly through the relief sculpture technique.

Stone Lion at the Shunling Mausoleum

The Shunling Mausoleum was the tomb of Yang Shi, the mother of Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty. In the first year (670) of the Xianheng reign, Yang Shi died and was buried under the name of Li Wang. Wu Zetian granted her mother the title of Empress Xiao Minggao and named the tomb the Shunling Mausoleum after declaring herself, Empress. Twelve stone people, one stone sheep, and a stone lion, one ornamental column and one lotus throne stand in front of the tomb. The east gate, the west gate, and the north gate have a stone lion each. A pair of horses stands outside the north gate, and a pair of walking lions and Tianlu guard the south gate. The walking lion and stone Tianlu are the masterpieces of the Shunling Mausoleum. The stone lion has a huge body, is 4m tall, with curly hair, extrusive eyes, and a grand nose.

Carved stone of the Qianling Mausoleum

The Qianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628-683), as well as the Zhou Dynasty usurper and China's first (and only) governing empress Wu Zetian,  is located 100km northwest from the peak of Liangshan Mountain. It is one of the best-preserved of the Eighteen Imperial Tombs and the most representative. A pair of ornamental columns, winged horses, relief humpbacks, and stone horses, ten pairs of civil and military officials stand at the second gate. Also, a stele with no inscriptions and a stele recording the achievements of the emperor hang between the stone people and the third tower. Sixty-one stone statues of visitors were placed in front of the Zhu Que Men. These stone carvings enlarge the space of the mausoleum and reflect the dignity and supreme position of the emperors.

Prominent among the stone carvings of Qianling Mausoleum is a pair of winged horses at the front. The winged horse or Pegasus is an auspicious animal. The sculpture of a winged horse, realistic in style, has highly decorative patterns. The curled patterns on the wings have similar features of "Tango” a decorative pattern in the Tang Dynasty sculpture.

The postures and expressions of a large number of civil and military officials are the same, which seem a bit stiff from the individual point of view, but on the whole, give people the impression of standing out majestically. A statue of an ostrich first appeared in the tomb of a Tang Dynasty emperor. To make it is easier to carve the neck and legs, craftsmen used the relief technique and realistic approach. The ostrich lived in the tropics and was considered a rare bird during the Tang Dynasty. Its image is similar to the image Zhuque used in the Han Dynasty.

Pottery figures in the Tang Dynasty tombs

The custom of burying objects was prevalent during the Tang Dynasty, so unearthed pottery sculptures are very rich and usually found in Xi'an and Luoyang. Most of the tombs of nobles of the Tang are in these two places. In Shaanxi Province, more than 3,000 pottery sculptures have been excavated. More than 570 pieces of pottery men were found in the tomb of Princess Yongtai; more than 1,000 in the tomb of Prince Yide; about 600 in the tomb of Crown Prince Zhanghuai. The tricolor figurines are unique and commonly seen sculptures. Tricolor pottery is the most important burial sculpture from the Tang Dynasty.

Grouped by category, pottery sculptures of the Tang Dynasty include female sculptures, male sculptures, musician and dancer sculptures, gods and spirits, and horse sculptures as well as other sculptures of common domestic animals, etc.

Female sculptures: Female sculptures from the Tang Dynasty can be divided into three categories. The first is the typical Tang style, i.e., most women were plump, teaching the aesthetic requirements of the Tang. A second female image has a round face but not a plump figure. The third kind is slim and pretty. The difference of female images results from the different status and position of the people, times and regions. The female sculpture shows different styles in the Tang Dynasty's early, middle and late periods and the Northern and Southern regions. The fat sculptures are noblewomen dressed in the style of the middle period. They can be usually found in Xi'an; while slim female sculptures show the elegant demeanor of southern China or appear in the early Tang, still affected by the dress and social style of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

Male sculptures: Male sculptures from Tang Dynasty tombs include warriors, flags, weapons, horses as well as attendants. The commonly seen attendants are Kunlun slaves and figurines of Hu people. Tang nobles employed a large number of people from ethnic nations Tri-colored glazed camel carrying musicians, Tang Dynasty.

Musicians and dancers: The sculptures of the musicians and dancers are also important pottery pieces. They were made in the hopes of putting on a false show of peace and prosperity for decedents. Ancient China had many kinds of music and dance. The dancer's postures were different as were the backgrounds. Therefore, sculptures of musicians and dancers found in the tombs are various and very vivid.

Monsters: Monster sculptures that can ward off ill-luck, evil and protect the dead were usually known as tomb-guarding beasts. These types of beasts appeared as early as the Warring States Period. During the Northern Dynasty, sculptures of animals with a human head appeared. These tomb figures were more popular during the Sui and Tang dynasties when various changes occurred. The tomb-guarding beasts during the Tang Dynasty made the biggest contribution to the development of images of animals with human heads from the Northern Wei Dynasty. They also developed evil half-human, half-animal images recognized as the evolution of the ancient Fangxiang God, meaning demons and monsters that can drive out evil spirits. People carved images of monsters that squat in the tomb. The tomb-guarding beasts always appeared in pairs.

An overall view of the stone carvings in tombs from the Wei, Jin to the Tang dynasties tells us that whether the large stone animal and human figures, the maids, sculptures of musicians and dancers, even the monsters protecting the tomb are vigorous, matching the atmosphere at that date. The dead's life after death is also vigorous. Sculptural art from the Tang shows the tolerance and moderation of the culture. It is the abstract and brief chronicle of the time.

The shape and structure of tombs from the Tang Dynasty changed during the Song Dynasty, which incorporated more common customs but lacked the beauty of power and vigor of the Tang. Stone carvings and pottery sculptures were rarely seen during the Yuan Dynasty. The Ming and Qing dynasties, despite continued to build tombs, did not achieve more glorious results than the middle Tang period.