Chinese Sculpture

This up-to-date and detailed exploration of China's magnificent sculptural heritage is presented in this book that is both accessible to the general reader and revelatory for the scholar. Sculpture is becoming known as one of China's great arts. Neolithic figurines, rows upon rows of underground terra-cotta statues, exquisite bronzes, Buddhas carved in cave walls - all these are part of a vast sculptural heritage. This book, written by a team of eminent international scholars, offers a comprehensive history of Chinese sculpture. Spanning some 7000 years, "Chinese Sculpture" explores a beautiful and diverse world of objects, many of which have only come to light in the later half of the 20th century. The authors analyse and present, mostly in colour, some 500 examples of Chinese sculpture, dividing China's rich and complex sculptural legacy into two parts: secular (tomb and mortuary art) and religious (Buddhist, Confucianist, and Daoist art). Throughout, the authors highlight the inventiveness, purposes, and brilliant execution of Chinese sculpture and comment on how the country's culture nurtured the practical and intellectual choices that shaped its sculptural traditions over the millennia.