20 Exhibitions GOLD FROM DRAGON CITY


Treasures from nearly 70 years of archaeological excavations in China are revealed in a landmark exhibition at China Institute Gallery this autumn. Tese masterpieces of Tree Yan culture from Liaoning, (337-436), feature sculptures, bronze mirrors, inkstones, imperial seals, equestrian objects, and ceramic vessels; as well as jewellery and ornaments – many of which are made of gold. Te unearthed archaeological discoveries are from ‘Dragon City’, now present-day Chaoyang in Liaoning Province, part of the history of ethnic integration and cultural exchange along the Silk Road that transformed northern China more than 1,600 years ago. Te objects in the exhibition have provided revelations surrounding how the Tree Yan culture, established by the Murong Xianbei people, progressed from nomadic to an advanced agricultural society. In the process, they were influenced by the Eastern Jin dynasty, gained literacy, and their skilled techniques in metalwork had a profound impact on later developments in gold craftsmanship and horse tack. Among the highlights in


the exhibition are a series of headdress ornaments with shimmering and swaying leaves of gold worn by the Murong Xianbei. Te gold buyao, meaning step and sway, quivers with movement when the wearer takes a step. Te metal leaf decoration originated in Western Asia and was first introduced to the northern regions via the


Pair of stirrups, Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Yan (407-436), mulberry wood and gilt bronze, height 23.2 and 25 cm, width 16.9 cm, excavated in 1965 from the tomb of Feng Sufu (d 415), Xiguanyingzi, Beipiao Liaoning Provincial Museum


Silk Road, spreading in the western Liaoning area and becoming a prominent feature of Tree Yan culture. A bronze vessel in the


shape of a tiger was excavated from a tomb belonging to Feng Sufu (d 415), the imperial minister of Northern Yan. Te tiger, with an elevated head and raised tail,


has intricate cast patterns depicting the animal’s fur and may have functioned as a drinking vessel or container. Tis rare find showcases the cultural amalgamation of North and South. Also found in Feng Sufu’s tomb was an imperial gold seal with a tortoise-shaped knob. Seals were used with vermilion paste to impress the owner’s name, studio name, or official title on documents or works of art. On each side of the tortoise’s shell there are interconnected circles symbolising constellations. A clay sculpture of a


Cup, Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Yan (407-436), glass, height 7.7 cm, diam. 9.4 cm, excavated in 1965 from the tomb of Feng Sufu (d 415), Xiguanyingzi, Beipiao Liaoning Provincial Museum


meditating Buddha has a prominent ushnisha, a cranial protuberance indicating wisdom, and an urna, another symbol of wisdom, between the eyebrows. Tis object is relatively rare, as most surviving Buddhist statues from this period are stone, because of the fragility of clay, rustically made sculptures like this hardly


Hat ornament, buyao, Sixteen Kingdoms, former Yan (337-370), gold base 5 x 4.6/4.8 cm, branches 13.7 x 17.8 cm, with remaining 35 leaves, excavated in 1989 from tomb no. 2 of Tiancaogou, Xiyingzixiang, Chaoyang Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology


survive. Tis figure is dated to the Northern Wei (386–535) and was excavated in 2003 from Chaoyang, Liaoning Province. Also in the exhibition are


the earliest known stirrups in human history, which revolutionised cavalry and warfare. With two feet in the stirrups, early warriors could have both hands free for battles. Te stirrups are made of crafted mulberry wood and gilt bronze, and represent


one of the masterpieces of gilded craftsmanship from the Northern Yan during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Tey were also found in the tomb of Feng Sufu. Te influence of the Silk


Road is further illustrated in the discovery of five glass vessels found in 1965 and dated to before 415, which represents the earliest and largest corpus of glassware unearthed in China to date. Tey were all produced


THE ART OF THE HORSE IN ANCIENT CHINA


Musée Cernuschi is exhibiting a selection of objects from its collections on the theme of equestrian art. Tese 17 objects belonging to the collections of the museum highlight the different facets of the practice of horse riding in China, mainly between the 2nd century BC and the 8th century. Horses are among the


animals most represented in the bestiary of the arts of Imperial China. From the Han (206 BC-AD 220) to the Tang (618-907), then again under the Ming (1368-1644), tombs contained multiple representations, with or without a rider. Tese works attest to the attraction that these mounts had on a country which, due to a lack of sufficient pastures, rarely developed large-scale breeding of them, except during the first half of the Tang dynasty. Tey also testify to the opening to Central Asia of China which, to counter the attacks of nomads on its borders, very often sought to obtain horses from this region. Te region of Ferghana


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subdued by the general Li Guangli in 102 BC, was obliged to pay a tax in the form of an annual contribution to the imperial stud of a contingent of stallions, which was transported to China with great difficulty. Te development of the cavalry, partly on the Barbarian model, was also related to the acclimatisation of forage clover and alfalfa for the animals. Te horse is the most


featured animal in the bestiary of works of art made in Imperial China. Ancient terracotta figures in human and animal form, mingqi, have been found in tombs from the Han to the Tang dynasties, then again under the Ming. Te tombs contain multiple representations of horses, with or without a rider. Tese works attest to the importance that these horses had on a country which, due to a lack of sufficient pastures, rarely developed large-scale breeding programmes for them, except during the first half of the Tang dynasty. Certain burials, mainly


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located in the southwestern provinces of the ancient empire, have yielded large sculptures of horses made in terracotta or bronze, and exceptionally in stone. Teir presence could be


linked to beliefs about the post-mortem journey of the deceased. Tese figures are distinguished from those of the Western Han by their morphology combining a compact and rounded body with slender legs. Te nervous expressiveness of the head of the neighing animal perhaps evokes the mythical ‘divine horses’ of Central Asia evoked by ancient Chinese texts. To emphasise the


importance of the horse in ancient China, the central piece of this Paris exhibition is a terracotta example from the Han dynasaty that stands 1.35 metres high. Tese steeds, seen as a kind of divine apparition, became a symbol of heavenly favour and, for this reason, horse figures were frequently included among the furnishings excavated from a tomb or mausoleum.


• Until 29 September, Musée Cernuschi, Paris, cernuschi.paris.fr


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Terracotta horse, Han dynasty, between 25 and 220 AD, height 1.35 metres, donated by Eliane and Philippe Wahl, Paris Musées / Musée Cernuschi


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through free-form blowing and are made of sodium carbonate glass, classifiable as of Roman origin. It is highly likely that these glass vessels were brought from the northeastern provinces of the Roman Empire into Northern Yan along the Silk Road, a journey of nearly 5,000 miles.


• From 5 September to 5 January, China Institute, New York, chinainstitute.org. Catalogue available


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