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The overextension of the labor force during the
Qin Dynasty would result in a popular uprising
against the empire. In 206 B.C., Liu Bang, a Qin
official, led an army composed of peasants and
some lower nobility to victory and established his
own dynasty in place, the Han. However, unlike
the Qin, the Han would unify China and rule
virtually uncontested for over four hundred
years. It is during this time that much of what is
now considered to be Chinese culture was first
actualized. The bureaucracy started under the
Qin was firmly established. The vast lands of
China came under the firm grip of a central
authority. Confucianism became the state
ideology. Ancient histories and texts were
analyzed and rewritten to be more objective
while new legendary myths and cultural epics
were transcribed.
The Han era can also be characterized as one of
the greatest artistic outpourings in Chinese
history, easily on par with the glories of their
Western contemporaries, Greece and Rome.
Wealth, pouring into China from trade along the
Silk Road, initiated a period of unprecedented
luxury. Stunning bronze vessels were created,
decorated with elegant inlaid gold and silver
motifs. Jade carvings reached a new level of
technical brilliance. But perhaps the artistic
revival of the Han Dynasty is nowhere better
represented than in their sculptures and vessels
that were interred with deceased nobles. Called
mingqi, literally meaning “spirit articles,” these
works depicted a vast array of subjects, from
warriors and horses to ovens and livestock,
which were buried alongside the dead for use in
the next world, reflecting the Chinese belief that
the afterlife was an extension of our earthly
existence.
The term “Fang” is a prefix used to describe a
squared-off or faceted variation of a normally
rounded form, in this case the Hu wine storage
vessel. The extensive polychrome painting that
decorates the sides and the lid of this vessel,
depicting scrolls and geometric motifs, is quite
rare. Seldom do more than traces of pigments
survive intact and in this example they retain
much of their original brilliance. The patterns
may have been inspired by contemporary
embroidery and textile patterns, in tune with the
fashion of the time. The beautiful Tao Tieh
masks, depicting stylized dragons holding
handles in their mouths, are noteworthy for their
fine relief details and painted highlights. This
wine vessel was found interred alongside an elite
member of the Han social hierarchy. During the
Han Dynasty, it was believed that the afterlife
was an extension of our earthly existence. Thus,
logically, if we require food and drink to nourish
our bodies on earth, we require the same to
nourish our souls in the next world. The wine
once contained within this Fang Hu has vanished,
perhaps consumed during the celestial feasts of
the afterlife. While this vessel represents the
sophisticated artistic and culinary traditions of
the Han, it also symbolizes their religious and
philosophical beliefs.
- (DL.2082)
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