Unit 4: Sculpture
Lesson 1: Chinese Horse Sculptures
The horse has been important in Asian cultures since it was
domesticated around 3,000 B.C.
Horses were believed to be powerful enough to carry their riders
to immortality.
They were the inspiration behind many poems, songs, paintings
and sculptures.
Chinese Horse Sculptures
During the Shang Dynasty (1600 1100 B.C.), real horses and human
charioteers were buried alive in royal tombs, to serve the deceased
in the afterlife.
During the Qin dynasty (221 206 B.C.), the emperor was buried
with thousands of life-sized sculptures of soldiers and hundreds of
horse sculptures.
Chinese Horse Sculptures
The Tang Dynasty (618 906 A.D.) was a time of cultural greatness
in China. The horse was used in battle, hunting, and sport.
Tang potters produced huge numbers of objects for their owners'
tombs, called mingqi.
Mingqi included figures of humans and animals, pots and bowls,
and models of houses.
Japanese Horse Sculptures
In Japan, around the time of the Tang Dynasty in China, artists
were making large earthenware figures that encircled their burial
mounds.
These Japanese sculptures of horses, soldiers, and other animals
are called haniwa.
Lesson 2:
The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
Like the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Chinese filled their
tombs with personal possessions to improve the afterlife.
The most elaborate collection of burial objects ever found by
archeologists is the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who died in
210 B.C.
The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
Emperor Qin Shihuangdi had unified China roughly into the nation
it is today.
Qin (pronounced chin) is the Western root of the name for
China.
Emperor Qin had an army of life-sized terracotta soldiers
created to guard his tomb.
The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
Qin's clay army includes more than 8,000 life-size warrior
figures with individualized features.
There are warriors, archers, cavalrymen and foot soldiers, as
well as 130 chariots and 670 life-size horses.
The figures were once brightly painted
The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
The warrior figures vary in height according to their roles,
with the generals being the tallest. They also have different
uniforms and hairstyles according to their rank.
Other non-military figures were also found, including officials,
acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
The terracotta army was discovered accidentally in 1974 by
farmers.
The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
The terracotta army figures were made by government labourers
and local craftsmen.
They were built in parts. The head, arms, legs, and torsos were
created separately and then assembled.
It is likely that face moulds were used, and then clay was added
to model individual features.
Most of the figures originally held real weapons, like spears,
swords, and crossbows.
REFLECTION: UNIT 4
1) How did you come up with your sculpture idea?
2) Were you successful in using the reductive building
technique? Explain.
3) What parts of your sculpture are successful? Why?
4) What parts of your sculpture would you change and how?
