China Fabulous Asian Sculpture And Art
When Marco Polo returned to Europe after living in China for 24 years, he brought with him stories and small samples of Chinese sculptures, ceramics, enamels, furniture and art. By the middle of the 18th century, Europeans were trading and craving for Asian products, Chinese art, designs, furniture, chinaware and sculpture figurines.
The Chinese Chou period (1122-221 BC) brought about the prominence of bronze casting. But, even before this, Chinese master craftsmen were producing art beyond its peak with fine stone, ivory, jade and bronze sculptures.
Fabulous ceremonial vessels and sculptures used by the nobility for funerary art and ancestor worship are quite evident in many ancient tombs and mausoleums. In the ancient tombs of the Han Empire (202 BC-220 AD) archeologists have unearthed a rich combination of jade carvings and bas-reliefs with a very high degree of excellent workmanship, as well as elaborate ornamental sculptures in gold, silver, bronze and clay ranging from household utensils, animals and people.
Nowhere is the supremacy of Chinese art sculpture more evident than in the magnificent archeological find from the tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang at Xi'an in China. Underground chambers and pits contained more than 8,000 life-sized terracotta army soldiers, chariots and cavalry, all in perfect battle formation.
Buddha sculptures and art were brought to a high level during the prosperous T'ang Dynasty. Stone and iron replaced bronze in the casting and chiseling of religious sculptures. Glazed terracotta figures during this era were tremendously finely detailed and very realistic.
During the Sung period, Buddhism and Chinese Buddha and art sculpturing seemed to have lost its lasting interest and greatly declined. Indian and Japanese Buddha art remained strong and many interesting works from these countries came out during this period.
Buddhist imagery has always played an important role in the development of sacred art and temple architecture throughout Asia. It is through these images and temple remains that scholars have been able to trace the growth and spread of Buddhism. Different types of Buddha statues and styles were carried from one culture to another as Buddhism spread throughout Asia. Many Buddhist images from China and Japan trace their origin to India many centuries before.
Buddah statues and styles have thus far become one of the most popularly sought kinds of Asian sculpture. Today, the time and effort put into creating these fabulous master pieces is highly treasured. Collectors of such antique items trade them for quite a lot of money.