1. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,
12e
Chapter 7
The Silk Road and Beyond:
The Art of Early China and Korea
Chapter 26
From the Mongols to the Modern
The Art of Later China and Korea
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2. China and Korea
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3. Key Ideas
• Philosophies of Laozi & Confucius permeate all aspects of
Chinese thought, including fine arts.
• Calligraphy is the most respected Chinese art form.
• Various Chinese painting formats include handscrolls,
hanging scrolls, fans, and album leaves.
• Chinese architecture is based on courtyard-style houses
that express the Chinese philosophy about family & social
position.
• Chinese art has a fondness for the monumental & grand.
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4. Historical Background
• Family dynasties
• 1st united ruler = Emperor Shih Huangdi: political unity;
rules of language/writing; standard weights/measures &
currency; started Great Wall; promotion based on
achievement, not family
• Tang dynasty = 618-906
• Kublai Khan dynasty= 1215-1294
• Ming dynasty = 1368-1644
• Patrons = state or religion, or literati (for themselves,
highly individualized)
• Daoism = religious journey in search of self-expression
(Laozi); oneness w/ nature; yin/yang
• Confucius = behavior, relationships, duty; respect
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5. Chinese architecture
• Atrium-based, walled to keep out world
• Elders lived with family - Confucian
• Wood
• Tiled roofs, long eaves tilted at end
• Walls not support of building – used to keep out weather
• Interior supports building
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6. Chinese art & sculpture
• Scrolls – and (horizontal) & hanging (vertical) – not just
decorative, but meant to be examined & put away
• Read right to left; paper, silk; painting & text combined
• Red squares are artist or owner ID
• Landscape highly prized; represent philosophical idea
• Crowded & empty space – yin & yang
• Porcelain – shapes + designs, glaze
• Monumental sculpture (terracotta army)
• Intricate miniatures
• Jade is prized medium
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7. Figure 7-1 Yangshao Culture vases, from
Gansu Province, China, mid third
millennium BCE. Earthenware.
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8. Figure 7-2 Guang, probably
from Anyang, China, Shang
dynasty, twelfth or eleventh
century BCE. Bronze, 6 1/2”
high. Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco, San Francisco (Avery
Brundage Collection).
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9. Figure 7-3 Standing figure, from Sanxingdui, China, ca. 1200–
1050 BCE. Bronze, 8’ 5” high, including base. China Cultural
Relics Promotional Center, Beijing.
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10. Figure 7-4 Bi (disk), from Jincun(?), China, Eastern Zhou dynasty, fourth to third century BCE. Nephrite, 6 1/2” in diameter.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. 10

11. Figure 7-5 Army of the First Emperor of Qin in
pits next to his burial mound, Lintong, China, Qin
dynasty, ca. 210 BCE. Painted terracotta, average
figure 5’ 10 7/8” high.
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12. Art and Religion
• The artistic influence of Buddhism and the Silk Road
12

13. Figure 7-8 Model of a house, Han dynasty, first
century CE. Painted earthenware, 4’ 4” high. Nelson-
Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City.
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14. Figure 7-9 Shakyamuni Buddha, Zhao Dynasty, Period
of Disunity, 338. Gilded bronze, 1’ 3 1/2” high. Asian Art
Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco (Avery Brundage
Collection).
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15. Figure 7-10 GU KAIZHI, Lady Feng and the Bear, detail of Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies, Period of
Disunity, late fourth century. Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 9 3/4” X 11’ 4 1/2”. British Museum, London.
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16. Figure 7-11 Shakyamuni and
Prabhutaratna, Northern Wei dynasty,
518. Gilded bronze, 10 1/4” high.
Musée Guimet, Paris.
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17. Figure 7-12 Vairocana Buddha, disciples, and bodhisattvas, Longmen Caves, Luoyang, China, Tang dynasty, completed 675.
Buddha, approx. 44’ high. 17

18. Figure 7-13 Paradise of Amitabha, Cave 172, Dunhuang, China, Tang dynasty, mid eighth century. Wall painting, approx. 10’
high. 18

19. Figure 7-15 Attributed to YAN LIBEN, Emperor Xuan and attendants, detail of The Thirteen Emperors, Tang dynasty, ca.
650. Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, detail: 1‘ 8 1/4” X 1’ 5 1/2”; entire scroll, 17’ 5” long. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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20. Figure 7-16 Palace ladies, detail of a wall painting in the tomb of Princess Yongtai, Qianxian, China, Tang dynasty, 706. Approx.
5’ 10” X 6’ 6”.
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21. Figure 7-17 Neighing Horse, Tang dynasty, eighth to ninth century. Glazed earthenware, 1’ 8” high. Victoria and Albert
Museum, London.
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22. Figure 7-18 FAN KUAN, Travelers among Mountains and Streams,
Northern Song period, early eleventh century. Hanging scroll, ink and
colors on silk, 6’ 7 1/4” X 3’ 4 1/4”. National Palace Museum, Taibei.
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23. Figure 7-19 Attributed to HUIZONG, Auspicious Cranes, section of a handscroll, Northern Song period, 1112. Ink and colors
on silk, 1’ 8 1/8” X 4’ 6 3/8”. Liaoning Provincial Museum, Shenyang.
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24. Figure 7-20 Meiping vase, from Xiuwi, China, Northern
Song period, twelfth century. Stoneware, Cizhou type,
with sgraffito decoration, 1’ 7 1/2” high. Asian Art
Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco (Avery
Brundage Collection).
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25. Architectural Basics in Early China
• View architectural basics and plans on page 200 in the
textbook.
• Examine early temples and later pagodas.
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26. Figure 7-21 Foguang Si Pagoda, Yingxian, China, Liao
Dynasty, 1056.
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27. Figure 7-22 Plan and cross-section of Foguang Si Pagoda, Yingxian, China, Liao Dynasty, 1056. (after L. Liu)
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28. Figure 7-23 MA YUAN, On a Mountain Path in Spring, Southern Song period, early thirteenth century. Album leaf, ink
and colors on silk, 10 3/4” X 17”. National Palace Museum, Taibei.
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29. Figure 7-24 ZHOU JICHANG, Arhats Giving Alms to Beggars, Southern
Song period, 1184. Ink and colors on silk, 3’ 8” X 1’ 9”. Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston.
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30. Figure 7-25 LIANG KAI, Sixth Chan Patriarch Chopping
Bamboo, Southern Song period, early thirteenth century.
Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 2’ 5 1/4” high. Tokyo
National Museum.
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31. Figure 7-27 Shakyamuni Buddha, at entrance to
cave temple, Sokkuram, Korea, Great Silla, 751–774.
Granite, approx. 11’ high.
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32. Figure 26-1 GUAN DAOSHENG, Bamboo Groves in Mist and Rain, Yuan dynasty, 1308. Section of a handscroll, ink on
paper, 9 1/8” x 3’ 8 7/8”. National Palace Museum, Taibei.
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33. Figure 26-2 WU ZHEN, Stalks of Bamboo by a Rock, Yuan dynasty, 1347.
Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 2’ 11 1/2” x 1’ 4 5/8”. National Palace
Museum, Taibei.
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34. Figure 26-3 HUANG GONGWANG, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Yuan dynasty, 1347–1350. Section of a
handscroll, ink on paper, 1’ 7/8” x 20’ 9”. National Palace Museum, Taibei.
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35. The Ming Dynasty
Figure 26-5 Aerial view of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Ming dynasty, 15th century and later.
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36. Lacquer in the Ming
Dynasty
Figure 26-8 Table with drawers, Ming dynasty, ca. 1426–1435. Carved red lacquer on a wood core, 3’ 11” long. Victoria
and Albert Museum, London. 36

37. Court Painters vs. the Literati
• Examine the different styles of the Ming Dynasty court
painters and the Literati, along with their philosophical
differences.
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38. Figure 26-9 SHANG XI, Guan Yu Captures General Pang De, Ming dynasty, ca. 1430. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on
silk, 6’ 5” x 7’ 7”. Palace Museum, Beijing.
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39. Figure 26-10 SHEN ZHOU,
Lofty Mount Lu, Ming dynasty,
1467. Hanging scroll, ink and
color on paper, 6’ 4 1/4” x 3’ 2
5/8”. National Palace
Museum, Taibei.
Figure 26-11 DONG
QICHANG, Dwelling in the
Qingbian Mountains, Ming
dynasty, 1617. Hanging scroll,
ink on paper, 7’ 3 1/2” x 2’ 2
1/2”. Cleveland Museum of
Art. 39

40. Figure 26-14 GIUSEPPE CASTIGLIONE (LANG
SHINING), Auspicious Objects, Qing dynasty, 1724.
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 7’ 11 3/8” x 5’ 1
7/8”. Palace Museum, Beijing.
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41. Art in the People’s Republic of China
Figure 26-16 YE YUSHAN and others, Rent Collection Courtyard (detail of larger tableau), Dayi, Sichuan Province,
China, 1965. Clay, approx. 100 yards long with life-size figures. 41

42. Figure 26-17 XU BING, A Book from Heaven, 1988.
Installation at Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of
Wisconsin, Madison, 1991. Movable-type prints and
books.
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43. Figure 26-19 CHONG SON, Kumgang
Mountains, Choson dynasty, 1734. Hanging scroll,
ink and colors on paper, 4’ 3 1/2” x 1’ 11 1/4”.
Hoam Art Museum, Kyunggi-Do.
© 2005 Saskia Cultural Documentation, Ltd. 43

44. Figure 26-20 SONG SU-NAM, Summer Trees, 1983. Ink on paper, 2’ 1 5/8” high. British Museum, London.
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