Chapter 7 Chapter Seven: The Magnificent Qin and Han Ceramics and the Achievements of Ceramic Sculpture Art

In the twenty-sixth year of Qin Shihuang (221 BC), the separatist forces of the princes were wiped out, and a centralized state of absolutism was established, forming a unified country with the Han nationality as the main body. The establishment of the Han Dynasty made the unified country started by the Qin Dynasty more consolidated. . In the Han Dynasty, the long-term stable situation and the foundation of agricultural development enabled the great development of handicrafts and commerce.There are large-scale government-run and private handicrafts, as well as small handicrafts and cottage industries all over the country.The ceramic handicraft industry was one of the most important handicraft industries throughout the country in the Han Dynasty.Because ceramic utensils are indispensable for any household and building sector, it has developed rapidly.The pottery utensils and bricks and tiles are of good quality, magnificent and artistic, which are difficult to compare with other dynasties.The reputation of Qin bricks and Han tiles has been known for thousands of years, and the invention of low-temperature color glaze has opened up broad prospects for the beautification of pottery.The portrait bricks used for burials reproduce the social reality of the Han Dynasty.The advancement of celadon and black porcelain firing has pushed the porcelain technology to a new stage.

According to statistics, daily utensils were still the most common pottery production in Qin and Han Dynasties.Mainly clay gray pottery, according to different uses, there are fine clay pottery, coarse clay pottery and sandy pottery.Due to the different firing atmospheres, the colors of pottery include blue-gray, taupe, red, black, etc., as well as various painted pottery.Among them, the pure blue-gray pottery is of the best quality, with high heat, well-controlled reduction atmosphere, uniform and pleasing color, and solid and durable texture.Most of the utensils are plain on the surface, with few decorations.Daily-use pottery in the Guanzhong area of ​​Shaanxi includes pots, small pots, flat pots, cocoon-shaped pots, bottles, beans, basins, cups, plates, bells, jars, spoons, tripods, retorts, cauldrons, bowls, etc.In the Kanto region such as Henan, the main living utensils are pots, pots, tripods, and bowls.In the Changsha area where Chu culture is concentrated, pottery has local characteristics, such as short-legged tripods, boxes, pots, cans, bowls, basins, cauldrons, steamers, rectangular furnaces, 盉, Boshan furnaces, and franciums.In Guangdong area, there are urns, jars, amphorae, lifting cylinders, double jars, quadruple jars, and five-link jars, ampoules, small ampoules, pots, pots, francium, dun, boxes (including small boxes, three-legged boxes) ), quadruple boxes and bowls, basins, steamers, kettles, tripods, smokers, beans, etc.In addition to general pottery, there are printed hard pottery in the south of the Yangtze River.These utensils are hard, and the surface is often printed with fine grid patterns, or carved with wavy and zigzag patterns. The types of utensils are mostly urns, jars, pots, boxes, bowls, etc.

For the decoration of pottery in the Han Dynasty, there are generally several kinds of pottery, such as string pattern, scratch pattern, rope pattern, imprint, mold embossment, coloring and painting.Some string patterns are wider and look like tile grooves, so they are also called "tile patterns". The scratch patterns include parallel straight lines and continuous dot patterns. Tooth patterns and engraved animal patterns, such as tigers, sparrows, etc.The print is individually printed on the green body by a die engraved with a pattern.Relief pasting, molded clay pieces or kneaded images with relief images, pasted on the surface of utensils, such as the feet of pottery stoves, well rails, bottles or warehouses, and the head of buns on the shoulders of utensils such as pottery pots.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the custom of using pottery vessels for burial has been very popular, and the production of pottery specially produced for burial, that is, Ming ware, has been further developed.Ming ware includes some shapes of utensils in daily use, but the texture is not as dense and hard as pottery for daily use, and more are warehouses, storehouses, furnaces, wells, stoves, mills, houses, water pavilions and other architectural models.There is also painted pottery, which draws magnificent and smooth patterns in bright colors, full of mysterious colors.Many glazed pottery works are also Ming vessels.

The common Ming wares in the Guanzhong area of ​​Shaanxi include cocoon-shaped pots, tripods, and flat pots, and the models include square warehouses, round warehouses, and pottery hoards.Four combinations often appear in tombs in the Kanto region of Henan: 1. Jar, tripod, pot, Dun, etc., which are utensils popular since the Warring States Period; 2. Stoves, wells, warehouses, stoves, mills, etc., which are utensils popular since the Han Dynasty 3. A set of sacrificial utensils represented by cups, plates, boxes, and cases, which became popular in the late Western Han Dynasty; a set of imitation lacquerware models became popular in the Eastern Han Dynasty; 4. Models of houses, waterside pavilions, docks, and livestock and poultry such as pigs and sheep , dog, chicken, etc.

Painted pottery is generally painted on pottery with a fairly good texture, some are realistic, some are abstract, and some are exaggerated.The screen layout is full.There are vermilion painting and powder painting.The colors are red, ocher, yellow, green, orange, white, black and other colors.The craftsmen are very good at matching. Most of the patterns are complicated. The main content includes patterns such as green dragon, white tiger, red bird, and cloud. There are suanni chasing between the highly mobile clouds.Some are like lacquer ware paintings, full of strong artistry (see the Qin and Han Dynasties of "History of Chinese Ceramics" for details).

Glazed pottery art, the glazed pottery art of Han Dynasty is mainly used as Ming ware. From about the Warring States period, a kind of glazed pottery appeared in the pottery handicraft industry.The surface of ordinary tile-tired utensils is coated with thick dark green, light green or brown-yellow glaze. Due to the large amount of lead mixed into the glaze, this metal has a very low melting point and plays a role in melting in the glaze.This can make ordinary pottery show a bright and beautiful glaze layer during firing.The invention of glazed pottery in China may be related to the chemical knowledge acquired by Taoist alchemy in the Warring States Qin and Han Dynasties.Taoism is full of experimental and innovative spirit, and often puts lead, mercury, quartz and other substances together for smelting.These substances can melt into a glassy substance at a certain temperature.In the pottery containers for alchemy, these substances are mixed with clay and adhered to the surface of the pottery, resulting in a surface layer like lead glass, which inspired people to invent glazed pottery.If powders of metal minerals such as copper and iron are added, the glaze layer will appear beautiful green and brown.The invention of lead-glazed pottery was more complicated than primitive celadon.It requires finding the metal lead that can lower the melting point of the glaze layer and adding it, and requires the formulation of a glaze that is consistent with the expansion coefficient of the pottery tire.It also needs to be fired at a temperature suitable for firing pottery, and the addition of copper and iron oxides as coloring agents also requires a wealth of knowledge.It is required to obtain beautiful green and brown colors, and the control of the firing atmosphere is also very strict.So glazed pottery was invented long after the production of primitive celadon.The artistic effect of lead-glazed pottery is much higher than that of ordinary pottery.First of all, the production of the green body is stricter than that of ordinary pottery, and it is almost meticulous. The shape design, the use of lines and the arrangement of decorative content are solemn and majestic, with the boldness of a bronze heavy vessel.

Glazed pottery was mainly pot products from the period to the middle period of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty.From the late Western Han Dynasty to the early Eastern Han Dynasty, it has been greatly developed, and various types of pots have been produced, as well as bowls, bottles, warehouses, cans, washes, cups, spoons, boxes, kui, and so on.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Boshan furnaces, bottle-shaped vessels, various animals and figures, that is, images of figurines were added.In Henan, Shanxi, Gansu and other places in the Yellow River Basin, there are also architectural models such as glazed pottery trees, waterside pavilions, high-rise buildings, warehouses, dock walls, and oars.Models of paddy fields and fish ponds were also unearthed in Henan, Sichuan, Guangdong and other places.The rich content of glazed pottery vividly portrays the production activities in the real society of the Han Dynasty, the life scenes of farmers, the raising of livestock and poultry, the basic necessities of labor, the entertainment and corrupt life of ruling class figures, leasing and lending, interpersonal relationships, ideological beliefs, etc. Expressed with a high artistic level.Glazed pottery, as a sacrificial vessel, meets people’s requirements for thick burials. It is more ideal than ordinary pottery and porcelain, and it can express a wider range of social forms.

The quality of primitive celadon rapidly improved during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and the output also increased. However, during the war between Wu and Chu, the south of the Yangtze River was greatly damaged, and the production of porcelain was also affected to a certain extent, and the quality dropped significantly.After the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, with the great economic development in the south of the Yangtze River, the production of porcelain developed rapidly, and black porcelain was also invented.The unearthed porcelain from Han tombs in various places has increased significantly, but there is also a clear phenomenon, that is, the texture is thicker, the glaze layer is not bright enough, the body glaze is not well bonded, and the glaze layer is easy to peel off.This is due to the increased content of alumina and iron oxide in the tire material.To change these defects, it is necessary to improve the kiln structure and increase the firing temperature.However, in the Western Han Dynasty, the kiln structure was not greatly improved, so the sintering degree of porcelain did not increase significantly.By the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the kiln had been greatly improved, and at the same time, the glaze matching and glazing process had also been significantly improved. Finally, a breakthrough was achieved, and another leap was made in the history of porcelain development.Archaeologists have discovered many Eastern Han celadon kiln sites in Shangyu, Ningbo, Jinhua, Deqing, Quzhou and other places in Zhejiang, indicating that the establishment of handicraft workshops at that time expanded.Chemical tests have proved that the firing temperature of these celadon has reached as high as 1300°C.The porcelain body is sintered well, and the body glaze is tightly bonded.Due to the better control of the reducing atmosphere, the celadon is pure in color, transparent and shiny.The celadon double-line pots unearthed in Haining are exhibited in the celadon display of Zhejiang Provincial Museum.

The celadon wares of the Han Dynasty include cans of various specifications, straight-necked bottles, double-pushou pots, five-tube bottles, five-linked jars, and tiger jars. Black porcelain in the Eastern Han Dynasty was developed.Black porcelain wares were found in Deqing, Jinhua, Ningbo, Shangyu and other Eastern Han kiln sites.The development of black porcelain is of great significance, because black glaze has a strong covering ability and is generally opaque.The black glaze is deep and thick, and the glaze is moist and beautiful.It does not have strict requirements on tire materials. Many porcelain kilns use leftovers to burn black porcelain, which is low in cost and creates conditions for the use of porcelain by ordinary people.

The pottery sculptures of the Qin and Han Dynasties made great achievements, laying a solid foundation for the sculpture art of our country for more than 2,000 years in the future.The pottery sculpture art of the Qin Dynasty is represented by the terracotta warriors and horses unearthed on the east side of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor in Lintong, Shaanxi. For a long time, huge pottery figurines or fragments have been unearthed in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. In 1974, three giant terracotta warriors and horses pits were discovered through detection. The No. 1 Terracotta Warriors and Horses pit has an area of ​​13,000 square meters, the No. 2 pit has an area of ​​about 6,000 square meters, and the No. 3 pit has an area of ​​520 square meters.The terracotta figurines are as tall as real horses.The image of the warrior is about 1.8 meters high.There are infantry, archers, chariots, and cavalry.There are local youths from Guanzhong, as well as border residents with different physical characteristics and from remote areas. There are handsome young men who have just entered the battlefield and are somewhat childish. There are also barefoot warriors, soldiers who lead troops to charge, and generals who plan strategies and command well.They wear armor, or short robes, or hold bows and arrows, or hold spears and spears. They have different faces and expressions, shaping their own personalities.The image of the war horse shows the superb level of sculpture art. It is about 1.63 meters tall, with ears leaning forward slightly, and big copper bell-like eyes staring forward. The muscle lines are elastic and full of texture. It shows the characteristics of the fierce, heroic and alert of the war horses of the Qin Dynasty.The strict layout fully complies with the principles of "Sun Tzu's Art of War".The terracotta warriors are majestic and majestic, reproducing the magnificent picture of Qin Shihuang's "one million armors, one thousand chariots, and ten thousand horses" to unify China with strong soldiers and horses, and the characteristics of the era of "strong armor and good soldiers". The pottery sculpture art of the Han Dynasty gradually tended to reflect social reality, and it was a classical realistic art that expressed people and social life.It portrays characters such as farmers, cooks, house slaves who pound rice, warriors who shoot and hunt, acrobats, song and dance, rap and performers with great skills, etc.Animals include cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, pigs, chickens, ducks and other livestock and poultry.The architectural models used for burial include various styles of high-rise pavilions, water pavilions, houses, pens for poultry, and warehouses for storing grain. The techniques of pottery sculpture in the Han Dynasty include kneading, round carving, bas-relief, mold printing, etc., focusing on similarity, concise and exaggerated lines, and a strong ability to generalize various social phenomena in the Han Dynasty. In addition to individual sculptures, group sculptures were also very successful in the Han Dynasty. The most outstanding group sculpture products are the music, dance, acrobatics, and banquet figurines of the early Western Han Dynasty unearthed from Wuying Mountain in Jinan, Shandong.On a pottery plate with a length of 67 centimeters and a width of 47.5 centimeters, 22 artistic figures are molded (a musician is missing).The performer is in the center of the pottery dish, the band is behind it, and the audience is on both sides.These contents are the aristocratic banquets that often appeared on the bronze wares and lacquer wares of the Warring States Period, but there is a great breakthrough in the composition processing.Most of the bronze engraved images of the Warring States period are centered on tall buildings and noble banquets inside, displaying images of music and dance, hunting, and war, boasting of the luxurious life of the nobles and highlighting their status as rulers.However, the layout of the artistic image of Wuying Mountain in Jinan, Shandong is just the opposite: the author deliberately depicts performers of music, dance and acrobatics, while the nobles who feast and have fun are relegated to the foil.Despite his tall stature, his face is dull and unobtrusive.Music and dance jugglers are very active. The shortcoming of Wuyingshan pottery figurines is the lack of changes in the faces of the figures, which reflects the characteristics of the era of pottery sculpture art in the early Western Han Dynasty.From the late Western Han Dynasty to the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the cooking figurines, dancing figurines, drumming and storytelling figurines, etc., are much more delicate in terms of character creation and portrayal.Storytelling figurines mainly appear in the Sichuan area, some standing, some twisting their bodies, and some sitting.The most successful one is the figurines of sitting storytellers unearthed in Pengshan, Sichuan, and now exhibited in the Chinese History Museum for a long time.It portrays a poor folk artist who works among the lower class people.He is a blind old man with a bare upper body, a pair of ripped trousers and bare feet, with his left hand holding a drum, his right index finger pointing downwards, his head tucked between his towering shoulders, his forehead raised due to his eyebrows and the hardships of life And a few deep wrinkles appeared.The scene is that as soon as the drum beats and the audience's attention is attracted, he tells a moving story with enthusiasm, smiles all over his face, speaks so excitedly, and can't help raising one foot.Although life is poor, he has endless joy among the lower class people.Such people are called "blind meng".Our people have a fine tradition of recording and disseminating history.In ancient times, there were two ways to disseminate history. One is a historian, such as Sima Qian, the Taishi Ling of the Western Han Dynasty. His "Historical Records" was mainly read by the supreme ruler. can not read it.Folk dissemination of history mainly depends on blind Mongolians. They have some physical defects and live among the people. With a high degree of organizational ability, they collect and organize the legends and historical materials of their own nation and region. spread in the middle.Integrating education with entertainment, so that working people can be educated and spiritually entertained.These works are impeccable in terms of "vividity" and artistic exaggeration, which shows that the art of Han pottery is not only focused on depicting the appearance of the characters, but more importantly, it has made keen and detailed observations and focused on the expressions of the characters.Because he is good at choosing and expressing the most representative moment of movement and force in the process of movement, he greatly increases the vitality and life temperament of the work, breaks through the general laws of plastic arts to a certain extent, and makes the work more interesting in life.