Early Chinese Art
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Chinese Art
Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based on or draws on Chinese culture, heritage, and history. Early "Stone Age art" dates back to 10,000 BC, mostly consisting of simple pottery and sculptures. After that period, Chinese art, like Chinese history, was typically classified by the succession of ruling dynasties of Chinese emperors, most of which lasted several hundred years. The Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei contains extensive collections of Chinese art.
Chinese art is marked by an unusual degree of continuity within, and consciousness of, tradition, lacking an equivalent to the Western collapse and gradual recovery of Western classical styles of art. Decorative arts are extremely important in Chinese art, and much of the finest work was produced in large workshops or factories by essentially unknown artists, especially in Chinese ceramics.
Timeline of Chinese History, Art, and Culture
by NATIONAL MUSEUM of ASIAN ART
Interact with Chinese history by exploring a timeline of key historical figures, dynasties, events, and artworks. Use the arrows to scroll through the centuries, and click on an era or item to learn more!
Ancient Chinese Art
by Mark Cartwright 13/10/17 ANCIENT CHINESE ART
Ancient China covered a vast and ever-changing geopolitical landscape, and the art it produced over three millennia is, unsurprisingly, just as varied. Still, despite continuous indigenous technical developments, changes in materials and tastes, and the influence of foreign ideas, there are certain qualities inherent in Chinese art which make it possible to describe in general terms and recognise no matter where or when it was produced and for what purpose.
Chinese art
by Michael Sullivan, Jerome Silbergeld Britannica
Chinese art, the painting, calligraphy, architecture, pottery, sculpture, bronzes, jade carving, and other fine or decorative art forms produced in China over the centuries.
Arts of Ancient China from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age
As one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, China has artistic traditions dating back more than seven thousand years. From Neolithic ceramics to archaic jades and ritual bronzes, the arts of China’s ancient past demonstrate technical sophistication, brilliant craftsmanship, and the frequent implementation of large-scale production methods, especially in objects created for the elite.
Buddhist Elements in Early Chinese Art (2nd and 3rd Centuries A.D.)
Artibus Asiae is a semi-annual publication of original scholarly articles, research notes, and book reviews devoted to the history of art and archaeology of Asia. While the great majority of articles are written in English, some issues contain contributions in German and French. Initiated in 1925 in Dresden, the journal is the oldest of its kind. Since 1991 it has been published by the Museum Rietberg Zurich in cooperation with the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. The journal is supplemented by a series of monographs (Artibus Asiae Supplementa).
Collections: Chinese
by NATIONAL MUSEUM of ASIAN ART
With more than thirteen thousand objects dating from Neolithic times (circa 7000–circa 2000 BCE) to the present, the National Museum of Asian Art’s collections possess one of the finest museum holdings of Chinese art in the world. In addition to containing numerous masterworks, the collections reflect all major periods and materials of artistic production. Special strengths include remarkable ancient jades and bronzes, early Buddhist sculpture, imperial and trade ceramics, lacquer, classical paintings, and calligraphy, all of which are among the greatest treasures of Chinese art outside of China.
Chinese painting
Chinese painting (simplified Chinese: 中国画; traditional Chinese: 中國畫; pinyin: Zhōngguó huà) is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guó huà (国画; 國畫), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western styles of art which became popular in China in the 20th century.
Chinese Art
Fashioned more than 4,000 years ago, the purpose and meaning of this small jade is unknown, though its compelling visual power is undeniable: large staring eyes are topped by arched eyebrows and a gaping mouth reveals bared teeth. Scholars have interpreted this face as that of a deity or a priest-shaman, though no written records exist to confirm its identity. Thin raised lines outline the features—a technique difficult to execute as jade is extremely hard and the background needs to be ground down to leave the lines in relief.
Chinese Painting
by Maxwell K. Hearn 1/6/08 THE MET
Consider Night-Shining White by Han Gan (
1977.78 ), an image of a horse. Originally little more than a foot square, it is now mounted as a handscroll that is twenty feet long as a result of the myriad inscriptions and seals (marks of ownership) that have been added over the centuries, some directly on the painted surface, so that the horse is all but overwhelmed by this enthusiastic display of appreciation.
Buddhism in Chinese Art (2nd century through 907 C.E.)
by Dr. Cortney E. Chaffin smarthistory
The story of Buddhist art in China is one of dynamic cultural and artistic exchange beginning with the earliest images of the Buddha based on Indian and Central Asian prototypes through its eventual Sinicization for a Chinese audience. This chapter explores Buddhist art in China from the Han through the Tang dynasties, a period that saw the introduction of Buddhism to China and its widespread growth as a major religion. After the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E., we will see how non-Chinese rulers who invaded north China during the Period of Division (220–589 C.E.), and then the later Tang dynasty (618–917 C.E.), used the religion and the construction of Buddhist monuments to assert their authority and legitimacy. Their subjects found in Buddhism a religion that could support their spiritual needs.
Early Chinese Texts on Painting
by The University of Chicago Press
For students of Chinese art and culture this anthology has proven invaluable since its initial publication in 1985. It collects important Chinese writings about painting, from the earliest examples through the fourteenth century, allowing readers to see how the art of this rich era was seen and understood in the artists’ own times. Some of the texts in this treasury fall into the broad category of aesthetic theory; some describe specific techniques; some discuss the work of individual artists.
Research on Early Chinese Lacquer Buddhas: Proceedings of the Sixth Forbes Symposium at the Freer Gallery of Art
by NATIONAL MUSEUM of ASIAN ART
The practice of using lacquer to form Buddhist sculptures dates back several hundred years with the earliest known sculpture associated with the late sixth-century Sui dynasty (581–618 CE) shortly after Buddhism came to China. Very few of the often life-size or larger sculptures remain. For the first time in this volume, Buddhist lacquer sculptures and their place in Buddhist practice are discussed holistically by scholars from a range of disciplines. Research on scientific, art historical and historical aspects of the sculptures opens a window into the sculptural lacquer techniques used in their creation. These proceedings, and their companion symposium, coincided with the exhibition, Secrets of the Lacquer Buddha.
Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums
by Jenny F. So Yale UNIVERSITY PRESS
From personal ornamentation to funerary practice, from palace decoration to private devotion, jade has played a major role in Chinese social, cultural, and political life for millennia. Exploring the history of this revered stone through the esteemed Grenville L. Winthrop Collection at the Harvard Art Museums—which includes some of the finest examples of ancient and archaizing jades outside China—this volume explains how and why jade developed its special significance.
Time in Early Chinese Art
by Eugene Y. Wang 9/10/15 WILEY.Online Library
The Chinese notion of time has mostly been treated as an abstraction extrapolated from various early texts, leading some scholars to make some assertions about the kind of time concept that dominates Chinese thinking. In an illustrated silk manuscript uncovered from a basket case from a tomb at Zidanku, Changsha, ca. 300 BCE, the design is essentially a calendric chronograph. Manipulation of time remains a key function of early Chinese art.
The Yuan Lacuna: The ‘David’ vases and UK collectors of early Chinese blue-and-white porcelain in the early 20th century
by Sarah Wong 6/25 ScienceDirect
In 1929, R. L. Hobson (1872–1941), Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum, was the first to publish and formally acknowledge the significance of the pair of Yuan blue-and-white temple vases, now known as the David vases. It was the first time in the United Kingdom that this type of blue-and-white porcelain was firmly established as being made in the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368).
Poetry and Pictorial Expression in Chinese Painting
This chapter focuses on certain early Chinese paintings and the links between poetry and painting that extended over a period of nearly a millennium from the early medieval period through the Song dynasty. Two artists, Gu Kaizhi and Guo Xi, can serve as exemplary models for the development of Six Dynasties portraiture and Northern Song landscape, respectively, and their lives and art are discussed in the first two sections of the chapter.
Glassmaking of the Qing Dynasty: A Review, New Data, and New Insights
by Hongjiao Ma 12/20 ScienceDirect
Ancient glassmaking has always been a very obscure area of study in China, because glass was a relatively non-essential material, used for decorative and ritual purposes, and was not commonly accessible to Chinese people until the early twentieth century. The lack of glass technology has even been given as an answer to the famous “Needham question”: Why did modern science not develop in Chinese civilization (Martin and MacFarlane 2011).
Time in Early Chinese Art
by Eugene Y. Wang 9/10/15 WILEY
The Chinese notion of time has mostly been treated as an abstraction extrapolated from various early texts, leading some scholars to make some assertions about the kind of time concept that dominates Chinese thinking. In an illustrated silk manuscript uncovered from a basket case from a tomb at Zidanku, Changsha, ca. 300 BCE, the design is essentially a calendric chronograph. Manipulation of time remains a key function of early Chinese art.
A miniature world: Revealing warring states period shell paintings from zhongshan state by multiple-methods
by Dian Chen 2024 ScienceDirect
The use of shells as a medium for painting is an exceptionally rare discovery in archaeology, representing a art form that has been largely overlooked. In this study, we present two shell paintings of the Warring States period (476–221 BCE) discovered in Zhongshan State, Hebei, China. Employing various techniques, including microscopic observation, computed tomography (CT), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), multispectral imaging, and Raman spectroscopy, we non-destructively unveil the exquisite images obscured by soil and reveal the unparalleled shallow relief technique employed in their creation.
Classification, Canon, and Genre
by Richard Vinograd 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
Systems of artistic genres, evaluative rankings of artists, and identifications of canonical monuments are all versions of classification and categorization. The identification of canonical objects and forms operated through evolving systems of preservation, collecting, transmission, and dissemination, involving physical monuments, institutions, texts, and publications, from early versions down to modern era museums and art-historical surveys.
Influence of Taoism on the invention of the purple pigment used on the Qin terracotta warriors
Until the 19th century, most pigments were based on naturally occurring colored minerals and dyes, with three significant exceptions: Egyptian Blue, Chinese Blue/Purple and Maya Blue. The former two are alkaline-earth copper silicates, and because of this similarity it has been proposed that the Chinese pigments were derived from Egyptian Blue. Herein, we analyzed clumps of pigment from the Qin warriors and discovered that in spite of the structural similarity to Egyptian Blue, the micro-structural morphology of Chinese Purple is very different.
Visualizing the Divine in Medieval China
by Katherine R. Tsiang 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
In Chinese civilization, as in many other cultures, the worship and visual representation of the divine or spiritual in art began in ancient times and has taken many forms throughout history. The early medieval period, third through sixth centuries CE, saw particularly active growth of religious imagery. This chapter discusses art categorized by religious affiliations with Buddhism, Daoism, and ancestor worship.
Urban daemons of early Shang: Urbanism in ancient China
by Elizabeth Childs-Johnson 6/18 ScienceDirect
Two early Shang (ca.1600–1200 BCE) works of art are critical in demonstrating the thesis that Shang ritual imagery was meaningful as a royal symbol of metamorphosis, in the context of urbanization from its earliest manifestation during the Early Shang era and throughout the heyday of Shang culture. Due to the abundance of newly excavated artifacts and art and of paleographic data in the form of oracle bone inscriptions, it is possible to begin to explain Shang (ca.1600–1046 BCE) religion and its artistic symbolism.
In the Name of the Nation: Song Painting and Artistic Discourse in Early Twentieth-Century China
by Cheng-Hua Wang 14/4/11 WILEY Online Library
This chapter contains sections titled:
Introduction Song Painting as the Representation of Chinese Art Song Painting, National Spirit, and High Civilization The Song–Yuan Dichotomy and the Polarity of Xieshi (Realistic) and Xieyi (Expressive) Discursive Formation: Song Painting in the Public Space References
The Language of Portraiture in China
by Dora C. Y. Ching 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
As in many cultures, the production of images or portraits of individuals figures prominently in the visual record of China. This chapter presents an analysis of the wide-ranging spectrum of portraiture-including meticulously painted colorful portraits by unnamed artists or artisans, highly individualized self-portraits, and generic-looking woodblock prints among others-provides a comprehensive view of the practice of portrait making in China and, by extension, situates the genre of portraiture within the broader history of art as a whole.
Chinese cloisonné revisited
by Nigel Wood 12/22 ScienceDirect
Two papers examining Ming cloisonné enamels on metal and Chinese fahua glazes on ceramics were published in 1989. The analytical work was carried out at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art at Oxford University, and all the cloisonné vessels analysed were dated to the later Ming Dynasty (Ming: 1368–1644). Various parallels and differences emerged from the studies, particularly regarding the extensive use of potassium oxide as a glass network modifier in both traditions.
On China's China
For many centuries China held the secret to making the world's finest porcelain—white, translucent ceramic ware of such high quality that it produced a musical tone when struck. The envy of potters and collectors in Europe and the Middle East, Chinese blue-and-white porcelain owed its excellence to the fine clay available to the Chinese as well as to their high-temperature kilns and the cobalt pigment they used to produce the pieces' brilliant hues.
Emptiness-Substance: Xushi
by Jason C. Kuo 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
Xushi (emptiness-substance) is one of the most frequently used terms in Chinese art and literary theory. References to xu and shi appear frequently in Chinese texts on painting written after the sixteenth century, although these terms were discussed in literary theory from Song Dynasty onward. This chapter begins with the elaboration on xushi by looking at the physical living space of the literati, namely the literary garden. Then, it looks at how the creation of a balance of empty and substantial forms has been applied to seal engraving.
The Art of “Ritual Artifacts” (Liqi): Discourse and Practice
by Wu Hung 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
In order to understand Chinese art during the extremely long period from prehistoric to early historical times, one must understand the vocabulary, function, meaning, and esthetics of “special artifacts”. This chapter begins with reconstructing a textual discourse on liqi , “ritual/ceremonial artifacts” that developed from the mid- to late Eastern Zhou (sixth-third century BCE), when the demand for such artifacts was itself waning. Then, the chapter shifts focus from the textual discourse to the basic characteristics and development of liqi based on archaeological materials and art historical methodology.
Imperial paintings show earliest brown rat domestication
The early domestication of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) is still unclear. The imperial paintings, The Silk Scroll of Three Rats, depicted domesticated brown rats with coat color variation in China during 1425–1435 AD. It was more than two centuries older than the known record in Japan, presenting the earliest evidence of brown rat domestication.
Chinese silk fine art in early Qing dynasty observations from historical literature
This article analyses in some detail the silk fabrics that appear in a historical literary work of the early Qing dynasty, Dream of the Red Chamber, a famous autobiographical work in which the author describes many of the details of the fabrics based on his own experiences and his family's inextricable links with the imperial silk factories of Jiangnan during the Kangxi period. The text also cross-referenced historical archives to show the exquisite silk fashion at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the pursuit and enjoyment of luxurious silk and imported fabrics by the aristocracy class in the early Qing dynasty, and how this mode affected the lives of ordinary people.
Words in Chinese Painting
by Alfreda Murck 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
This chapter examines one of the most obvious features of Chinese painting: the words written on them. The calligraphy enhances the image while the words extend the meaning. Although the focus of this chapter is on brush-written inscriptions on two-dimensional surfaces, it is important to remember the role of writing in early antiquity. The function of inscriptions in China evolved along with the perception that the written language was pictographic and magical. In the hierarchy of the arts, poetry traditionally was considered superior to painting.
Early Chinese Glass from Pre-Han to Tang Times
by C. G. SELIGMAN, P. D. RITCHIE & H. C. BECK 24/10/1936 nature
IN a previous letter1, Beck and Seligman described the analysis of a large ornamental glass ” eye-bead” from the Han Chün graves near old Lo Yang, dating back to the second half of the third century B.C. or perhaps even earlier. This bead had the surprisingly high specific gravity of 3.57, and proved to be essentially a lead-barium silicate, with small amounts of soda, lime, alumina, etc.
On the Origins of Literati Painting in the Song Dynasty
by Jerome Silbergeld 9/10/15 WILEY Online Library
Defining and describing just what “literati painting” is intended to mean has long been a challenge to historians both Chinese and Western. This chapter presents some of the complexities of this subject that continue to challenge, or even elude, art historians. Was “literati painting” (especially in its historical origins) a style, visually distinctive and clearly identifiable? The chapter answers this and other questions related to the origins of literati painting in the Song dynasty.
Famous Chinese Painters
History is not only written, but also painted. Throughout the annals of Chinese painting, numerous painting masters emerged to record history. These Chinese painters, whether professional artisans at court, scholar officials in their gardens, Daoist recluses in the mountains, or Buddhist monks in the temples, have all depicted the world in their eyes and minds.
A beginner's guide to Imperial China
China was a highly literate society that greatly valued poetry and brush-written calligraphy, which along with painting, were called the Three Perfections, reflecting the esteemed position of the arts in Chinese life.
Chinese Painting
The history of Chinese painting can be compared to a symphony. The styles and traditions in figure, landscape, and bird-and-flower painting have formed themes that continue to blend to this day into a single piece of music. Painters through the ages have made up this “orchestra,” composing and performing many movements and variations within this tradition.
Chinese Art Prints - History, Technique and Printmaking Schools
The Chinese invented paper and printing long before the Europeans. Chinese woodblock printing boasts a rich tradition spanning over 2,000 years. However, Chinese print artists have remained relatively absent from the international art scene until recent decades. This is now beginning to change.
China, 1400–1600 A.D.
by Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The establishment of the Ming dynasty in 1368 marks the return of native rule over all of China for the first time in centuries. An interest in cultural restoration characterizes the first part of the dynasty, when the court sets the style for ceramics, lacquers, textiles, painting, and other arts.
Neolithic Period in China
by Department of Asian Art 1/10/04 THE MET
The Neolithic period, which began in China around 10,000 B.C. and concluded with the introduction of metallurgy about 8,000 years later, was characterized by the development of settled communities that relied primarily on farming and domesticated animals rather than hunting and gathering. In China, as in other areas of the world, Neolithic settlements grew up along the main river systems. Those that dominate the geography of China are the Yellow (central and northern China) and the Yangzi (southern and eastern China).
Teaching China with the Smithsonian
by NATIONAL MUSEUM of ASIAN ART
Welcome! Teaching China with the Smithsonian supports educators everywhere in engaging and inspiring students through the exploration of Chinese art, history, and culture. Discover the richness of one of the world’s oldest civilizations through featured museum objects, videos of art-making traditions, and supporting resources that link art to world history, social studies, and language arts. Focusing on artworks can highlight key curricular themes, enhance cultural competency, and unveil endless paths for inquiry. Thank you for teaching China with us!
Chinese Studies
The database includes five subdatabases: (1) About 10,000 titles of e-books; (2) 26 major newspapers; (3) More than 900 titles of reference; (4) Chinese arts and images; and (5) Some major statistical yearbooks about national economic and social statistics. All the resources are full-text searchable.
Video: Ancient Chinese Art | Styles, History & Characteristics
What our learners say
Introducing the Association for Chinese Art History
by Asia Now 2/6/23 Association for Asian Studies
Scholars of Chinese art history now have a new home to share news, events, and find their communities! The Association for Chinese Art History (ACAH) is a newly-formed committee of AAS, associated with the East and Inner Asia Council (EIAC). It seeks to promote communication and community among scholars of Chinese art and architectural history and the visual cultures of global and diasporic Chinas by providing opportunities for dialogue, promotion of scholarly opportunities and events, and celebration of the achievements of members of our field. Our call for membership is now open – please join us!
