The most up-to-date and detailed exploration of China's magnificent sculptural heritage Sculpture is becoming known as one of China’s great arts. Neolithic figurines, rows upon rows of underground terra-cotta statues, exquisite bronzes, Buddhas carved in cave walls—all these are part of a vast sculptural heritage. This gorgeous book, written by a team of eminent international scholars, is the first to offer a comprehensive history of Chinese sculpture. Spanning some seven thousand years, Chinese Sculpture explores a beautiful and diverse world of objects, many of which have come to light in recent decades. 
The authors analyze and present, mostly in color, more than five hundred examples of Chinese sculpture, dividing China’s rich and complex sculptural legacy into two parts—secular (tomb and mortuary art) and religious (Buddhist, Confucianist, and Daoist art). Throughout, the authors highlight the inventiveness, purposes, and brilliant execution of Chinese sculpture and comment on how the country’s culture nurtured the practical and intellectual choices that shaped its sculptural traditions over the millennia.

Chinese Sculpture

Arts & Photography

Wu, Hung

Howard, Angela Falco

Li, Song

杨红

History & Criticism

Yale University Press

The Han (221 B.C.–A.D. 206) and Tang (618–907) dynasties mark the two great eras of early imperial China. From the fall of the Han at the turn of the third century to reunification under the Sui in the seventh, the country experienced devastation from war and social upheaval. It was also, however, a period of creativity and cultural change. The political fragmentation that occurred between the dynasties and the massive migration of nomadic peoples into China resulted in contact with every part of Asia and the introduction of foreign ideas, religious, and art forms and motifs. An important aspect of the cultural exchange that took place at the time was the spread of Buddhism in China. By the Tang dynasty, thousands of foreigners were traveling to the capital, Chang'an, which flourished as a great cosmopolitan center of world commerce and culture
 The integration of foreign motifs and styles with the traditional arts of China is the focus of this catalogue and the landmark exhibition that it accompanies, "China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 A.D.," held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition comprises some three hundred objects, most of them excavated in recent years and many never before seen outside China. Each work is discussed in terms of its aesthetic qualities and art-historical significance and in the context of the philosophical and religious ideas that are reflected in iconography and style.
 In an introductory essay, James C. Y. Watt, Brooke Russell Astor Chairman, Department of Asian Art, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, discusses the art and history of the entire period. Essays by both Chinese and Western scholars explore important aspects of metalwork, glass, and textiles, as well as the development of Buddhist art in China. [This book was originally published in 2004 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.]

China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 A.D.

Watt, James C.Y.

Bai, Su

Marshak, Boris I.

Feng Zhao

Jiayao, An

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The monumental cave complexes of the Baodigshan site at Dazu, in Sichuan province, and their vast treasure trove of Buddhist sculpture and painting have been little studied relative to other Buddhist cave art in China. This is the first English-language publication to reveal and explain the incredible artworks hidden in this remote site, dating from the Song dynasty and inspired by the profound tenets of Esoteric Buddhism. Using brilliant color photographs and detailed line drawings, Professor Angela Falco Howard presents the caves in the didactic order intended by their creators, explaining their iconography, symbolism, and the hidden meanings in both the individual elements and overall design. Finally, the author places this magnificent construction within the context of an indigenous style of Buddhist sculpture that flourished in Sichuan province between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Summit Of Treasures: Buddhist Cave Art Of Dazu, China

Weatherhill

The first English publication to reveal and explain the incredible artworks within the monumental cave complexes of the Baodingshan site, at Dazu, Sichuan Province, China.

Summit of Treasures: Buddhist Cave Art of Dazu, China

Orchid Press

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