Quiz 1 Chinese Art History

Reproductive Vase

• Machang Phase

• Qinghai Province

• 3rd millennium

• Material: Clay

• Use: Vessel used commonly for ceremonial/decorative purposes

• Symbol: Nude woman

Goddess Head

• Hongshan culture

• 4 millennium BCE

• Liaoning Province

• Material: Clay & jade eyes

• Use: rituals

• Symbol: Face with inlaid green jade eyes

Royal Jade Cong

• Liangzhu culture

• 3rd millennium BCE

• Zhejiang Province

• Material: Jade

• Use: Ritualistic object used in ceremonies (status object)

• Symbol: Human (small face) riding animal (large face). Human wears feathered crown and beast has clawed limbs.

Stone reliefs in the “Palace Platform”

• Shimao culture

• 3rd millennium BCE

• Shaanxi Province

• Material: Stone

• Use: Decoration and rituals

• Symbol: Abstract human and animal forms. A beast, shows social order, cross cultural exchange.

Pouring cup / jue / bronze tripod vessel

• Erlitou culture

• 19th - 16th century BCE\

• Henan Province

• Material: Bronze, Mold Casted

• Use: Ritualistic drinking vessel

• Symbol: Represents status and ceremonial importance.

Kneeling Tiger-Human made of Jade

• Late Shang culture

• 14th - 11 Bce

• Henan Province

• Material: Jade

• Use: Ritualistic object, possibly for burial (found in burial site)

  • Symbol: Animal motif of tiger. Represents the connection between humans and the spiritual realm. RITUAL POSE

Bronze Fangding square caldron with taotie

• late shang culture

• 13th century BCE

• Henan Province

• Material: Bronze, Mold Casted

• Use: Ritualistic cooking and serving vessel. Was in the tomb of Fu Hao

• Symbol: Taotie mask is a stylized animal mask, represents mythical beast. Ancestral worship and social hierarchy.

Standing Figure

• Sanxingdui

• 1600 - 1046 BCE

• Sichuan Providence

• Material: Bronze Casted (very big)

• Use: Religious or ceremonial purposes. shows religious/political authority

• Symbol: Human with sharp features. Raised pedestal is shaped like an elephant. Seems like it should hold something.

He-zun

• Zhou

• 11th Century BCE

• Western Zhou Dynasty

• Material: Bronze

• Use: Ritual wine vessel, often used in ancestor worship.

• Symbol: The design features a geometric pattern and face-like forms, representing the connection to the divine. Has Toati (beast face).

Hu-gui

• Zhou

• 857 - 828 BCE

• Material: Bronze, piece mold technque

• Late Western Zhou Dynasty

• Use: Storage vessel for food or wine, used in ritual contexts.

• Symbol: Often decorated with intricate designs and features. Zoomorphic handles (Dragons). Potential Calligraphy

Mawangdui Tomb 1

• Han Dynasty

• 168 BC

• Hunan Province

• Material: Black Lacquered background

• Use: 2nd layer of coffin. Rich burial goods including textiles, lacquerware, and a range of artifacts reflecting belief systems and daily life of the era.

• Symbol: Swirling Clouds Background and mythological creatures fighting eachother. Cosmos?? could represent heaven

Queen Mother of the West

• Eastern Han Culture

• 1st - 2nd c. CE

• Sichuan Providence

• Material: Molded pottery bricks (tiles)

• Use: Decorative

• Symbol: First time God represented as human figure. Tiger on one side and Dragon on the other. Always has animals around her. It represents afterlife. Queen Mother is apart of money trees

Teracotta Figures (First Emperor’s Tomb at Lintong)

• Qin Dynasty

• 3rd BCE

• Shaanxi Province

• Material: Painted terracotta

• Use: Burial objects meant to accompany the emperor into the afterlife, showcasing the army and various figures representing different professions.

• Symbol: Represents the vastness of the emperor's power, with life-sized soldiers that reflect the military strength and organization of the Qin Dynasty. The order of how the sculptures are laid out were how they were sent to war