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t1 A J G a l l e r y - F i n e C h i n e s e A r t & A n t i q u e s
T e l : 2 1 2 - 5 8 5 - 2 6 7 5 w w w . a j g a l l e r y . c o m e m a i l : a j @ a j g a l l e r y. c o m |
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Chronology of China
Neolithic Period......6500-1700BC Xia Dynasty...........2100-1600BC Shang Dynasty........1600-1100BC Zhou Dynasty..........1100-256BC Spring & Autumn.......770-475BC Warring States..........475-221BC Qin Dynasty.............221-206BC Han Dynasty..........206BC-220AD Three Kingdoms...........220-265 Jin Dynasty.................265-420 Southern Dynasty..........420-581 Northern Dynasty..........420-581 Sui Dynasty.................581-618 Tang Dynasty..............618-907 Liao Dynasty...............907-960 Song Dynasty.............960-1279 Jin Dynasty..............1115-1234 Yuan Dynasty...........1279-1368 Ming Dynasty............1368-1644 Qing Dynasty............1644-1911 Republic of China.......1911-1949 The People's Republic of China.... ..........................1949-
In imperial times, painting and calligraphy were the most highly appreciated arts in court circles. Calligraphy was thought to be the highest and purest form of painting. The implements were the brush pen, made of animal hair, and black inks made from pine soot and animal glue. In ancient times, writing, as well as painting, was done on silk. However, after the invention of paper in the 1st century, silk was gradually replaced by the new and cheaper material. Original writings by famous calligraphers have been greatly valued throughout China's history and are mounted on scrolls and hung on walls in the same way that paintings are. Beginning in the Tang Dynasty, most paintings were landscapes. In these landscapes, monochromatic and sparse, the purpose was not to reproduce exactly the appearance of nature but rather to grasp an emotion or atmosphere so as to catch the "rhythm" of nature. In the Song Dynasty, landscapes of more subtle expression appeared; immeasurable distances were conveyed through the use of blurred outlines, mountain contours disappearing into the mist, and impressionistic treatment of natural phenomena. Emphasis was placed on the spiritual qualities of the painting and on the ability of the artist to reveal the inner harmony of man and nature, as perceived according to Taoist and Buddhist concepts. Beginning in the 13th century, the tradition of painting simple subjects—a branch with fruit, a few flowers, or one or two horses—developed. Narrative painting, with a wider color range and a much busier composition than Song paintings, was immensely popular during the Ming period or See Chinese pottery figures >> or
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P4 Porcelain J2 Jade
D1 Painting A1 Pottery
P1 Porcelain C1Cloisonne
D2 Painting A3 Pottery
P2 Porcelain C3 Cloisonne
A4 Pottery D5 Painting
A8 Pottery C6 Cloisonne
J3 Jade D3 Painting
A2 Pottery P6 Porcelain
C4 Cloisonne A5 Pottery
P5 Porcelain D4 Painting
C2 Bronze J1 Jade
A7 Pottery P3 Porcelain
D7 Painting B1 Carving
J4 Jade A6 Pottery
C5 Cloisonne D6 Painting
J5 Jade C7 Cloisonne
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Cloisonne is a unique art form that originated in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty. In the period titled 'Jingtai' during the Ming Dynasty, the emperor who was very much interested in bronze-casting techniques, improved the color process, and created the bright blue that appealed to the Oriental aesthetic sense. Cloisonne manufacture is comprehensive and sophisticated, combining the techniques of making bronze and porcelain ware. Model hammering: The process is to form copper pieces into various shapes with a hammer. In filigree welding the artist pinches and curves copper filigree into delicate flower patterns, pasting them onto the copper mold, heating to 900 degrees Celsius, firms the metal. Handicrafts specialists fill enamel glaze into lattices formed by fine-spun filigrees. Just one filling is not enough - the filigrees extrude, and the surface is dull. They have to fuse powdery glaze in the smelter at 800 degrees Celsius, then take the object out and repeat the process three or four times until its surface becomes smooth. See our cloisonne collections>>
Jade is a name applied to two different rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals. Nephrite jade consists of the calcium- and magnesium-rich amphibole mineral actinolite. Jadeite is a sodium- and aluminum-rich pyroxene. They are both about as hard as quartz, exceptionally tough, beautifully colored and can be delicately shaped. Nephrite can be found in a creamy white form (known in China as "mutton fat" jade) as well as in a variety of green colors, whereas jadeite shows more color variations, including dazzling blue, lavender-mauve, pink and emerald-green colors. Of the two, jadeite is rarer. Translucent emerald-green jadeite is the most prized variety. Burma (Myanmar) is the principal source of modern gem jadeite, and Canada of modern lapidary nephrite. Nephrite jade was used mostly in pre-1800 China.
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