基本説明
This catalog accompanies a major traveling exhibition of 128 works of bronze, jade, and clay dating from the thirteenth century BC to the second century AD.
Full Description
This extraordinary catalogue accompanies a major traveling exhibition of 128 works of bronze, jade, and clay dating from the thirteenth century B.C. to the second century A.D. The majority of these stunningly sophisticated works of art--among the most unusual and spectacular produced anywhere in the ancient world--all come from a startling archaeological discovery made just fourteen years ago at the previously unknown site of Sanxingdui in Sichuan province. The discovery of this Bronze Age civilization fundamentally changes our understanding of Chinese history. Representing fifteen hundred years of cultural production, these striking objects are extraordinarily varied, ranging from a monumental standing figure and an almost life-size bronze horse to ritual vessels, masks, and bronze heads of fantastic-looking supernatural beings, finely honed jade knives and ritual blades, and marvelous clay statuettes. Most have never before been seen in the United States. The exhibition and catalogue represent a unique international effort to continue the study of ancient Sichuan.Under the leadership of Robert Bagley, an international team of scholars contributes eight essays on the archaeological discoveries at Sanxingdui, the art historical importance of these objects, and the new history of ancient China they tell. Contributors are Michele Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens, Jessica Rawson, Lothar von Falkenhausen, Alain Thote, Jenny F. So, Michael Nylan, and the Seattle Art Museum's Curator of Chinese Art, Jay Xu. In addition to the essays, there are individual entries for each object, nearly all of which have been newly photographed for this publication. Ancient Sichuan contributes to a revolutionary change in perceptions of ancient Chinese civilization, providing an unprecedented opportunity to explore the art, material culture, and spiritual life of ancient China. EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: Seattle Art Museum, Seattle May-August 2001 Kimbell Museum of Art, Fort Worth September 2001-January 2002 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York March-June 2002 Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto August-November 2002
Contents
Director's Preface by Mimi Gardner Gates 8 Curator's Acknowledgements by Jay Xu 10 Editor's Preface by Robert Bagley 12 Map of China 14 Map of Sichuan 16 Map of Chengdu Region 18 Introduction Part I: Sichuan before the Warring States Period by Jay Xu 21 Chapter 1.Bronze at Sanxingdui by Jay Xu 59 Chapter 2. Jade and Stone at Sanxingdui by Jenny F. So 153 Chapter 3. The Chengdu Plain in the Early First Millenium BC: Zhuwajie by Lothar von Falkenhausen 177 Chapter 4. The Archaeology of Eastern Sichuan at the End of the Bronze Age (Fifth to Third Century BC) by Alain Thote 203 Chapter 5. Tombs and Tomb Furnishings of the Eastern Han period (AD 25-220) by Jessica Rawson 253 Afterword: The Legacies of the Chengdu Plain by Michael Nylan 309 Appendix: Additional Exhibition Information Chinese Character Glossary by Jennifer Chen 329 List of Works Cited 333 Contributors 349 Index 351
