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Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China's Han Dynasty
This stunning Chinese art book presents almost a hundred recently unearthed objects that offer a glimpse into the extraordinary wealth and artistic accomplishments of elite society during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 9 CE). These exquisite treasures are from newly discovered sites in the Jiangsu region of China and are made of gold, silver, jade, bronze, pottery, lacquer, and other refined materials. Masterworks include a full-length jade suit sewn with gold threads, an oversized coffin shrouded in jade, and a complete set of functional bronze bells. The book's texts explore a number of ideas about the lives and deaths of Western Han royalty.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published February 28, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 14, 2022
En el 2022 es uno de los pocos libros occidentales que muestra las piezas de las excavaciones arqueológicas de los últimos años. Por supuesto es un libro de arte que acompañó una exposición del Asian Art Museum de San Francisco, exposición que no visité, a diferencia del otro usuario que reseña la exposición en vez del libro (?). Saltando los prefacios el libro abre con una introducción general de Jay Xu, en la que da un contexto histórico, cultural y arqueológico bastante decente para su escaso número de páginas. La obra continua con otras tres introducciones o artículos sobre los mausoleos del rey de Jiangdu en la montaña de Dayun; los mausoleos de los reyes de Chu en Xuzhou; y el último sobre los mausoleos de los reyes de Wu, Sishui y Guanling. Por supuesto aunque son textos totalmente introductorios es divulgación necesaria sobre el trabajo arqueológico de estos mausoleos, además escrito por especialistas y arqueólogos chinos. Salvo los mausoleos de Xuzhou, todos son descubrimientos bastante recientes y es complicado encontrar información en lengua occidental, si uno quiere adentrarse en el tema hay que ir necesariamente a los reportes arqueológicos de las distintas revistas del instituto arqueológico chino, en chino.
Antes del catálogo de obras expuestas (y otras no expuestas) hay una serie de fotografías de las excavaciones de la montaña de Dayun, bonito sin más, sin ningún texto ni explicación, varias de ellas son las mismas que salieron en los reportes de las excavaciones en la revista de Arqueología 考古 entre el 2012 y 2013.
Y ya ocupando cerca de dos tercios del libro, el propio catálogo de las 100 piezas. El único punto negativo que le encuentro al libro es el propio catálogo, pues las fotografías (de muy buena calidad y en color) están acompañadas únicamente de escuetas descripciones básicas de título, lugar del hallazgo, material y museo de procedencia. Se esperaba un poco de elaboración en este sentido.
Para terminar la obra incluye bibliografía pero no glosario de caracteres chinos.
Otro libro similar, del mismo año, es Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (MET: 2017), libro que complementa bastante bien a este a pesar de cubrir una mayor temporalidad, con pocas repeticiones de piezas y unas descripciones mucho mejores.
Antes del catálogo de obras expuestas (y otras no expuestas) hay una serie de fotografías de las excavaciones de la montaña de Dayun, bonito sin más, sin ningún texto ni explicación, varias de ellas son las mismas que salieron en los reportes de las excavaciones en la revista de Arqueología 考古 entre el 2012 y 2013.
Y ya ocupando cerca de dos tercios del libro, el propio catálogo de las 100 piezas. El único punto negativo que le encuentro al libro es el propio catálogo, pues las fotografías (de muy buena calidad y en color) están acompañadas únicamente de escuetas descripciones básicas de título, lugar del hallazgo, material y museo de procedencia. Se esperaba un poco de elaboración en este sentido.
Para terminar la obra incluye bibliografía pero no glosario de caracteres chinos.
Otro libro similar, del mismo año, es Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (MET: 2017), libro que complementa bastante bien a este a pesar de cubrir una mayor temporalidad, con pocas repeticiones de piezas y unas descripciones mucho mejores.
June 28, 2024
This is a neat book about a topic that most people haven't really encountered before: early Han dynasty China.
The first 50 pages or so are a series of essays about the tombs and the Han Dynasty. The essays helped explain both what the objects tell us about the lifestyles during the Han Dynasty, as well as the political and social structure of the Han Dynasty. I did not know before reading this book that the Han dynasty contained several vassal kingdoms within it, which were only annexed over time after rebellions and centralizations.
The remaining 3/4 of the book are the images, which are presented with the most minimal identificatory text. This is fascinating, because we see so many aspects of life. Some are familiar - like umbrella handles and bath stones - while others are delightfully ancient - like chariot parts and elaborate bell sets. The royal sex toys were a fun treat, second only to the hot pot stand that looks almost exactly like what you'd find in any hot pot restaurant today.
The first 50 pages or so are a series of essays about the tombs and the Han Dynasty. The essays helped explain both what the objects tell us about the lifestyles during the Han Dynasty, as well as the political and social structure of the Han Dynasty. I did not know before reading this book that the Han dynasty contained several vassal kingdoms within it, which were only annexed over time after rebellions and centralizations.
The remaining 3/4 of the book are the images, which are presented with the most minimal identificatory text. This is fascinating, because we see so many aspects of life. Some are familiar - like umbrella handles and bath stones - while others are delightfully ancient - like chariot parts and elaborate bell sets. The royal sex toys were a fun treat, second only to the hot pot stand that looks almost exactly like what you'd find in any hot pot restaurant today.
Read
May 31, 2017This exhibit featured many objects of exceptional beauty. Second century BC Han royalty knew how to live! The animal figurines of precious metal adorning everyday objects are stunning, as are the Jade jewelry and funerary pieces. Perhaps the eerie highlight of the exhibit was the morbidly beautiful Jade death suit of a deceased queen. It seemed more alive than anything I've ever seen a living being wear and perhaps just this is the point.
But the most unique aspect of this exhibit is the insight it gives us into the private lives of the privelged elite of this society- their hygienic and sexual being. Throughout the exhibit, Bay Area "luminaries" are asked to leave written comments about the royal artifacts. One of the most revealing moments for me was one such comment about a set of ancient dildos by the owner of Good Vibrations- an SF-area chain that parlays designer sexual devices. She wondered what the "common people" of 2nd century BC Han culture used for sex toys, or even if they got to have any.
I found this very illustrative of the way capitalists contemplate the existences of the oppressed.
But, perhaps more importantly, the exhibit reveals how our understandings of bygone civilizations are necessarily from the perspective of the oppressor-elite, for only they have the power to frame any historical perspective. Will future millennia find the actually lived lives of the late-capitalist world's oppressed any less indecirerable?
But the most unique aspect of this exhibit is the insight it gives us into the private lives of the privelged elite of this society- their hygienic and sexual being. Throughout the exhibit, Bay Area "luminaries" are asked to leave written comments about the royal artifacts. One of the most revealing moments for me was one such comment about a set of ancient dildos by the owner of Good Vibrations- an SF-area chain that parlays designer sexual devices. She wondered what the "common people" of 2nd century BC Han culture used for sex toys, or even if they got to have any.
I found this very illustrative of the way capitalists contemplate the existences of the oppressed.
But, perhaps more importantly, the exhibit reveals how our understandings of bygone civilizations are necessarily from the perspective of the oppressor-elite, for only they have the power to frame any historical perspective. Will future millennia find the actually lived lives of the late-capitalist world's oppressed any less indecirerable?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews