The pottery sculptures in the development period of matriarchal clan commune from about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago can be cited as 192 1 Yangshao culture pottery birds and animals and the unique pot cover with human head and snake body discovered in Yangshao village, Mianchi, Henan Province. The pottery sculpture unearthed in Hu Quan Village, Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province is a masterpiece of Yingding, and it is the earliest one discovered so far. It indicates that China ancient human body modeling art has reached a higher level. Pottery piglets unearthed in Hemudu, Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province. This bamboo belly about 7000 years ago is obviously drooping, which is very similar to the posture of modern domestic pigs. The pottery treasure of clan period is a pottery dog gauge found in Dawenkou, Tai 'an, Shandong Province. There are also painted pottery sculptures.
The general situation of pottery sculpture in primitive society shows that the creation is in the primary stage, and the production methods have been piled up, molded and clay sculpture, and colorful ornaments have been produced; The artistic style is unpretentious. It not only truly reflected people's cognitive ability to objective things at that time; Moreover, it also successfully recorded the technical level of pottery making at that time and people's aesthetic requirements for the development of pottery sculpture art. In the slave society of Xia and Shang Dynasties, there were already some ritual vessels such as knights and horns. White pottery appeared in pottery sculpture, and the decorative patterns were mostly convex carvings, skillfully combining fine halo and coarse floating patterns. Most of the floating patterns are based on animal themes such as real dragons or Zen patterns, and geometric patterns such as Lei Yun are all over the bottom; The host and guest are harmonious, exquisite and of high artistic value, which can be compared with bronzes of the same era. Pottery and plastic varieties popular in the early and middle period of Shang Dynasty, such as tortoise, sheep's head and toad, were unearthed in Henan with vivid images. However, from the overall point of view, most of the pottery unearthed in Xia and Shang Dynasties are animal images, which to some extent reflects people's aesthetic views and personal feelings about real life at that time. It is particularly worth mentioning that during the same period of smelting copper in Shang Dynasty, there was a kind of pottery called "Fan Tao", which is today's mold. Exquisite pottery models are not only molds needed for metal molding, but also bronzes can be directly engraved with patterns. Therefore, the promotion of pottery sculpture to the progress of human smelting technology can not be ignored.
The destruction of the Western Zhou Dynasty declared the basic end of the slavery era in China. History has entered the stage of feudal society, and ceramic sculpture has gradually become a big category because of the great changes in society. The grandeur of Qin terracotta warriors; The creation of ceramic sculptures in Han and Tang dynasties was unprecedentedly prosperous: the three generations of porcelain sculptures in Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties competed for each other; In the Qing Dynasty, the production and sales of ceramic sculptures flourished in the periods of Kang, Yong and Jiangxi, and the decoration was novel, which really promoted the ceramic sculptures to achieve the artistic appreciation effect that people compared to "silent poems and three-dimensional paintings". The application of pottery carving in Zhou Dynasty extended to architectural decoration, and various vivid relief tiles were found. Tiger-shaped drainage pipes, etc. , adding beauty to the building.
The production of pottery figurines, known as "funerary wares", has developed rapidly and occupied a leading position in the history of ceramic sculpture in China for a long time. Luoyang, Henan; Changzhi, Shanxi; Pottery figurines were found in Qi tombs in Linzi, Pingdu and Long Island, Shandong Province. Observation and production are obviously rough, leaving obvious knife marks all over the body, which is very original; Men and women painted pottery figurines, some dressed in armor, some dumbfounded, some dancing, different expressions, different shapes. Qin and Han Dynasties is an important period in the history of China ceramic sculpture. Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, praised by international friends as "the eighth wonder of the world", were unearthed on the east side of the imperial tomb in Lintong County, Shaanxi Province, which not only filled the historical gap, but also made ceramic art exude amazing and peculiar charm. Those clay sculpture groups with vivid images, tall figures and hard fetuses not only left behind the climax creation technology possessed by the Qin Dynasty, but also witnessed the best history of the Qin Dynasty's unification of China. Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses should belong to the largest pottery sculpture unearthed in China, and their heights are all between 1.78- 1.98 meters.
The preliminary results show that the creative process of these pottery sculptures should be carried out by combining clay molds with manual kneading and making them in sections. Pottery workers first make heads, use at least dozens of sets of different head molds, then use each set of molds to copy a large number of clay blanks with the same head shape and shape, and then knead them by hand, and mold the clay blanks made by the same mold into different head shapes by using internal top and external pressure technologies such as pushing and kneading; Then artistic treatment is carried out to make muscles, facial features, beard and hair reach different shapes, and then create images of the same type and different personalities. The head-shaped mold has no ears, and the ears of the figurines seem to be formed by another mold and then attached; Beards are also like prefabricated patches; Traces of local patch treatment can be seen in hair, hat, mouth, eyes and other parts. This combination of mold and molding technology is unique and fascinating in the pottery art of Terracotta Warriors and Horses.
The pottery sculptures in the Han Dynasty have a distinct realistic style. Not only are almost all the daily necessities of the characters unearthed, but almost all of them are copied from the pottery sculptures and put into the tomb as funerary objects. In particular, many experts in cultural relics and archaeology are fascinated by this rare treasure-1957 A 53cm-high pottery rap figurine unearthed from Tianhuishan Tomb in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, has a vivid and touching shape. Look at this "little statue" is an old man, stout, naked, with a belly as big as a drum; Snare drum was surrounded by his left arm, the drumstick was firmly held by his right hand, his left foot bent down and his right foot tilted, and his expression was humorous. On the surface, his masterpiece does not emphasize proportion and structure, but it can highlight the dynamic expressions of characters, especially the very pleasant attitude of trying to conquer the audience and the audience, which is very successful and attractive in overall modeling. Readers can also see from the works that the rap figurines seem to have just finished their wonderful laughter, as if their mouths are rapping, their hands and feet are following instructions, and even their sides show healthy, humorous, funny and funny expressions and energetic and eye-catching emotions. It proves that the creator not only tries his best to express its dynamic beauty, but also shows that the skill level of folk pottery and plastic craftsmen in Han Dynasty has been greatly improved.
The art of ceramic sculpture in the Three Kingdoms period was underdeveloped, with rough varieties, dull modeling, small quantity and no obvious characteristics. For example, in 1954, Wu Zhao Tu Gang's tomb was discovered in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and many warrior figures and animal sculptures, such as sheep and bears, were unearthed, with the same shape and poor skills. However, it can be seen that the name of the artist who carved the earliest porcelain carving should be counted, because a celadon hanging tiger unearthed at the same time has an inscription (now in China National Museum): "Yuan Zuo Yi, master of Shangyu in the 14th year of Chiwu", which should be the author's name. In the Jin Dynasty, the level of pottery sculpture in the north was also average. Nature in the Northern Dynasties can truly represent the artistic level of pottery sculpture in this period. Because both the task and the production of animals have broken through the stiff style of the previous generation of Gu Zhuo, and turned to pay attention to the detailed description of expressions. On the basis of inheriting the excellent traditions of the Han Dynasty, it also absorbed the advantages of Buddhist art and grotto sculpture in time, which promoted the continuous improvement of its artistic level. Therefore, the shape is beautiful and the skills are fine, even in terms of clothing and social life. It also vividly reflects the characteristics of the great integration of north and south cultures at that time. According to the General History of Jiangxi, in 583 AD, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province burned a large-scale sculpture "Tao Chu" for Jiankang, the capital of Chen State (now Nanjing, formerly under the jurisdiction of Keren Town) as the palace foot. The Qing Dynasty history book "Notes on Nanyao" once recorded that during the great cause of the Sui Dynasty (605-6 18), Jingdezhen created two lion elephants and big beasts.
The Tang Dynasty was a splendid period of feudal society and culture in China, and it was also the peak of the development and prosperity of pottery sculpture. The amount of unearthed objects, the range of expression, the perfection of images and the maturity of technology are unmatched by banknotes in any period. For example, a pottery Tang Nv horse-riding figurine unearthed in Ganxian County, Shaanxi Province with Tang Zhaoling is 37 cm high. It can only be seen wearing a double hat, like a hat under a hat, a white narrow-sleeved shirt, a red floral sleeve white mattress, a pale yellow striped white skirt, black pointed leather shoes, riding a red dot Huang Ma, and tightening the reins with his left hand; The overall shape is very simple, natural and free and easy, with bright colors and vivid expressions, which vividly reproduces the fashion characteristics of women's wear in the Tang Dynasty. Lang Zeng, a ceramic critic, once wrote that the unique Tang Sancai in artistic treatment contains two fascinating factors, that is, the combination of ceramic technology and sculpture skills brings out the best in each other. Ceramic sculpture in Song Dynasty absorbed the advantages of sister arts such as clay sculpture and stone carving from many aspects, and then accelerated the improvement of its own technical level. The export of ceramics including "Tang Sancai" to Japan officially unveiled the spectacular animal husbandry of international trade and the export of ceramic sculptures, and the reputation of exquisite ceramic sculptures spread overseas, and we saw examples of Arabs who came to China for business to shape the physical image of ceramic sculptures.
Jingdezhen kiln once unearthed celadon hanging seeds in the early Northern Song Dynasty in Hutian and other kiln sites in the town and in the ancient Song tombs. Porcelain carving varieties include small toys for decoration and appreciation; There are also Guanyin Buddha statues offering sacrifices and funerary objects; There are also practical porcelain carvings and various new words for animals, flowers and fruits, which are attached to pots, bottles, stoves and other utensils; It is also close to the ci style of Ding Yao Kiln and Jizhou Kiln in the same period, and both of them have the characteristics of dexterity, elegance and beauty of the Song Dynasty Arts and Crafts Institute. Among them, the combination of light and shadow and flowers, the carving and stacking of smoke stoves, and the conversion of bottles. It also opened the precedent of pinching, carving and floating crane in Jingdezhen; The masterpiece "Ren Hu Introducing Ma Yong" is even more amazing. Shujiao, the first comprehensive female master of porcelain carving and painting in the history of China ceramics, was born in Jizhou Kiln, Jiangxi Province. In the Song Dynasty, "Jiangxi kiln came out of Luling (formerly known as Ji 'an) Yonghe City, with Shu Weng as a toy, and the daughter of Weng Youci, Shu Jiao, was on the day of Song Dynasty", and "a Buddha vase on Qingyuan Temple was made by Shu Weng in Yonghe kiln and painted by her daughter". It is not difficult to see that Shu Jiao's porcelain making technology and artistic level are better than her father's, and she was famous for her porcelain garden from the end of the Northern Song Dynasty to the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Porcelain sculpture in Yuan Dynasty, 66 cm high, shows Guanyin wearing a crown, a cassock and a ribbon, with a well-proportioned and dignified figure and a warm face, which looks like Wen Ya's kindness. It does have a unique temperament of compassion and saving lives, which makes people sincerely admire it. The production method of archaeological analysis VII is: first, knead the shape outline with porcelain clay, and then carve it with tools; The wreath ribbon is pasted, and the shadow green glaze of the bright car is fired at a high temperature, which ideally achieves a harmonious, fresh and elegant artistic effect. In Dehua County before the Ming Dynasty, there were statues such as Guanyin, Guan Yu, Dharma, Queen Mother of the West and Luohan. The vivid characters, simple clothing patterns, smooth lines and solemn and kind artistic style are of course inseparable from the numerous local Buddhist temples and Taoist temples. According to the survey, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (referring to the early Qing Dynasty), there were more than 70 kinds of avalokitesvara, such as Eighteen Hands Avalokitesvara, Crossing the Sea Avalokitesvara and Lianlian Avalokitesvara, ranging from 60 inches to 9 centimeters, with more than 200 kinds of specifications. There are many works of Maitreya Buddha, the Eight Immortals, the birthday star and so on created by Dehua porcelain sculptors in European and American museums. The craftsmen who left their names are: He Chaozong, He Chaochun, Zhang Shoushan, Lin Chaojing, Xu Caiyuan, Su and Chen Wei, among which He Chaozong is the most famous. According to conservative statistics of cultural relics experts, at least 200 pieces of He Chaozong's works have been collected abroad, which can be called masterpieces of porcelain carving.
Influenced by clay sculpture, Jingdezhen colored porcelain has flourished at this time, which can be described as a profound technological revolution in the field of porcelain decoration, promoting the popularization of color addition in porcelain carving (that is, blue and white, multicolored, plain tricolor and multicolored products discovered by archaeology); It also enables people to appreciate the beauty of porcelain with painting from the aesthetic habit of appreciating monochromatic glaze. After adding color to the porcelain carving, it gives people a vivid and natural feeling, and at the same time makes painting and porcelain carving quickly become twins; Furthermore, with the new advantages of adding color, it quickly became unique in China's porcelain carving producing areas, and many excellent works also rushed out. For example, the 2.47-meter-high Rushena Buddha in Emei Mountain, Sichuan Province, the blue-and-white glazed lion statue in Shanghai Museum, and the bronze glazed unicorn in Jiuhua Mountain, a famous Buddhist shrine in Anhui Province. Famous porcelain sculptors in Jingdezhen in the Ming Dynasty include Zhou Danquan, who is good at making antique varieties, and Chen Zhongmei, who is good at creating antiques.
19 10 From April 28th to 10/0 28th, the Qing government held the "First Surrender Meeting of Nanyang" in China, and Jingdezhen presented an antique porcelain carving tower, which was "worth 1,500 gold and was a specialty of China". Famous porcelain carving artists in the Republic of China included Zeng Longsheng, Xu Shunyuan, Cai Shousheng, Yang Haisheng and Yang Qinchuan. They have their own strengths, and they are all from Fengcheng County, Jiangxi Province. Among them, the giant statue of Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary forerunner created by Zeng Longsheng, was sent to the United States to participate in the "Chicago International Expo" held in 1932.