Art and Ornament in Early China
In the early twentieth century Western collectors established a canon of early
Chinese art that includes the most refined material remains found in Bronze-Age
tombs—bronze and lacquer utensils, jewelry, dress, ornamental fittings for
weapons, chariots, and furniture, funerary painting and sculpture, etc. Until
the 1980s the discussion of such artifacts was primarily the domain of art
historians. Nowadays, such material constitutes one of the main resources for
the broader study of early Chinese culture and scholars from a great variety of
academic fields (archaeology, anthropology, art history, history, literature,
religious studies, linguistics, and conservation) are commenting on it. As a
result early Chinese artifacts have become one of the most vibrant
interdisciplinary testing grounds for disciplinary approaches and theories. The
significance and meaning of ornament and decoration have been particularly
controversial in this discourse. One aim of this class is to critically review
this discourse on the visual qualities of ancient artifacts. A second aim is to
provide an introduction to elite material culture in Bronze Age and Early
Imperial China (Shang to Western Han, 1600-1 BCE) as revealed by archaeological
discoveries. Emphasis will be placed on ritual, political, and societal
functions of artifacts in regard to their regional idiosyncrasies. 3 credits. Satisfies
the non-Western or pre-1800 requirement.