Tri Coloured Tang

Tangsancai refers to the tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty(618-907 A.D.),a painted earthenware which appeared in the wake of celadon.It is called "tri-coloured"because yellow,green and white were normally used,although some pieces are also in two or four colours.Developed on the basis of the green and brown glazed-pottery of the Han Dynasty,it represented a peak in the development of Chinese ceramics and was already well-known in the world in its time.
Unearthed tri-coloured Tangs are usually horses,camels,female figurines,dragon-head mugs,figurines of musicians and acrobats,and pillows.Of these,the three-coloured camels have won the greatest admiration.They are presented as bearing loads of silk or carrying musicians on their backs,their heads raised as if neighing;the red-bearded,blue-eyed drivers,clad in tunics of tight sleeves and hats with upturned brims,reproduce true-to-life images of men from Central Asia of that time as they trudged along the Silk Road to the tinkle of camel bells.


The tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty was developed some 1,300 years ago by drawing on the skills of Chinese painting and sculpture and employing on the bodies the techniques of claystrip forming and incising.The lines thus produced were rugged and powerful.Then glazes of different colours were painted on and,while chemical reactions took place in the process of firing in the kiln,they dripped naturally so that the colours mingled with each other and formed smooth tones.


The tri-coloured Tang flourished during a rather short period of time(the 8th century)of the dynasty,when pottery pieces of this category were used by the aristocrats as funerary objects.So the finds today are limited in number and are considered to be rare treasures,valued for their brilliant colour and life-like shapes.


Imitations now produced in Luoyang,Xi'an and other cities of China are well received as tourist souvenirs because of their close resemblance to the authentic works.

source:
http://www.chinese-handicraft.com /folk-arts/Tri-Coloured-Tang_191.html

Silhouette Carving

The silhouette carving,which is a branch of the Hui'an school of stone sculpture in Fujian,derives its name from its photo-like artistic effects.For its exquisite craftsmanship it is extolled as a wonder of China.


Using a variety of tiny chisels ranging in size from nails to needles,the artist consults the details of a photograph while carving on a piece of bluestone about two inches in thickness,forming patterns and images by varying the size,depth and density of the chisel points and alternating realism with abstraction.A piece of silhouette carving can be as large as more than 100 square metres and as small as 4 to 5 square cm.


The silhouette carvings made in the Hui'an County Stone Carving Factory are often selected as gifts for diplomatic occasions and shown in exhibitions abroad.

source:
http://www.chinese-handicraft.com /folk-arts/Silhouette-Carving_202.html

Brick Sculpture

Bricks carved with patterns in relief were used for decorative purposes on the exterior of old houses-mansions of officials and the rich,shrines and temples,landscape buildings in parts.They are also found on the entrance gates,windows and screen walls in houses which once belonged to big business and the landed gentry,"to bring honour to the owners and their ancestors".


Carvings on bricks may cover a wide range of subjects.Usually seen are human figures drawn from popular legends,dramas and folklore,most of them lifelike and spirited.Animals and plants are also favourite subjects,mostly those portending power and good luck or representing certain lofty qualities,for example,dragon,phoenix,plum,bamboo,crysanthemum and so on.Other carvings represent attempts to reproduce traditional paintings on bricks.Apart from the sculpted pictures,they are often complete with inscriptions and seal marks.


This particular art of sculpture was done on a kind of carefully polished blue brick.It was called fangzhuan(square brick)in the Ming Dynasty and jinzhuan("gold"brick,see a preceding article of this title under ARCHITECTURE)in the Qing Dynasty.This brick was fine in texture and most suitable for carving,but as it was also brittle,the work might be easily ruined by a slip of the carving tool.


The large numbers of brick-carvings which we can still see today are impressive with their vivid figures,their composition in depths and on varying levels,giving a feeling of three dimensions and sppealing with an impact not found in frescoes.

source:
http://www.chinese-handicraft.com /folk-arts/Brick-Sculpture_203.html

Basketwork on Porcelain

This is a national art with a tradition of barely 100 years.It is very fine basketwork woven with thread-like bamboo strips round a porcelain vessel as the body.If the latter is compared to a beauty,the basket will be her elegant and close-fitting dress;it not only protects the vessel but also enhances its appeal.
To weave such a basket involves a process of a dozen steps or more.The bamboo must be flawless on the surface and at least 2/3 of a metre long between the joints.Thread-thin strips are drawn from it,averaging about one kilogram from every 100 kilograms of bamboo.Then the handicraftsman weaves the strips,next to the surface of the porcelain,into a basket of close-knit and even-arranged warp and weft without showing any ends or joints.The basket,in some cases,is woven with pictures of various figures,bringing the art to an even higher level of ingenuity.Even if the porcelain inside should be broken,the basket itself would still remain a fine piece of art worth keeping.

source:
http://www.chinese-handicraft.com /folk-arts/Basketwork-on-Porcelain_143.html