According to research, the rock carvings at the site date to about 1000 BC and are from the Bronze Age. Nan Yue Wang Palace Department site found a number of quadrilateral base octagonal prismatic stone railing, is the earliest known stone railing components in the history of Chinese architecture. The ruins of the Royal Court of the State of South Vietnam, stone pools paved with stone slabs with ice cracks, winding stone canals, stone chambers erected with huge stone slabs, and a variety of stone components were the first of their kind in China's Qin and Han Dynasty sites.
The Tomb of Zhao Mai, the King of South Vietnam, is the largest stone chamber tomb known to date in Lingnan, with a huge stone chamber weighing 2.6 tons. The tomb unearthed 244 pieces (sets) of jade artifacts, including 71 pieces of jade wall, as well as two pieces of celadon jade round carving of dancers, l piece of celadon and white jade carving corner cups carved in relief with scrolling clouds, as well as silk skeleton jade clothes, dragons and tigers and body of jade belt hooks, dragon and phoenix motifs of heavy rings of jade pendant, the beasts head of the armature wall, which can be said to be the exquisite treasures, reflecting the processing of the jade of the time of the superb craftsmanship, it can be seen that the state of Nan Yue has mastered the material opening, shaping, drilling, carving, polishing and other techniques as well as inlaying. It can be seen that the South Vietnamese had mastered the techniques of material opening, modeling, drilling, carving, polishing, remodeling and inlaying. In the tomb of the King of the South Vietnam, also found talc oven, ear cups, pigs, pillows, as well as stone inkstone, research stone. Sharpened stone and finely ground stone axe, etc.. It shows that stone carving was also a valued craft.
From the origin of human art began the history of stone carving. It can be said that, so far, human beings all-encompassing art forms, there is no one can be more ancient than the stone carving, there is no one art form can craftsmen it is more people enjoy, never die.
The history of stone carving can be traced back to one or two hundred thousand years ago in the middle of the Paleolithic era. From that time, stone carving has been passed down to the present day. During this long history, the creation of stone sculpture art has been constantly updated and progressed. Different periods, stone carving in the type and style style have great changes; different needs, different aesthetic pursuit, different social environment and social system, are constraints on the development and evolution of stone carving creation. The history of stone carving is the history of art, but also the history of rich cultural connotation, but also the image of vivid and real human history.
Pre-Qin period of stone carving
Neolithic stone carving
10,000 years ago, the primitive ancestors said goodbye to the collection, the hunting economy, the end of the life of the displaced into the Neolithic era of settlement, people began to engage in farming and animal husbandry as the main life of the colony. When the primitive people said goodbye to the gathering and hunting environment in the mountains and forests, and moved to the riverbanks and hills in the plains, the vivid hunting art in the past also did not come back. People found that the Neolithic pottery patterns, often are concise, generalized abstract deformation and even geometric forms of animal decoration, and thus in the Neolithic Revolution flourished in the region, rock carvings and rock paintings have been relegated to secondary or even extinct.
Chinese Neolithic ancestors, about 10,000 years ago, already knew how to burn pottery, but in about 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, only began to enter the era of colored pottery. In contrast, the ancient Chinese invented the technology of grinding stone tools, which was used in the late Paleolithic period, and the caveman's stone decorations, which were perforated by faceting, were milestones in the history of ancient Chinese carving, because, only with the invention of grinding technology, stone became an invincible carving material for mankind.
Peiligang, Yangshao culture period, the Chinese land of the end of the glacial period, is very suitable for human survival and development of the warm climate period. The sedentary farming people, who were happy and contented with each other's lives, wove peaceful chants. They made a variety of pottery, like to use abstract concise, generalized sphinx and various geometric patterns for decoration, people's understanding of the beauty of the form greatly expanded, the plastic arts have also expanded into various areas of sculpture.
China's early Neolithic stone carvings, can PeiLiGang culture of stone grinding wheel, grinding rod as a representative. It is processed from sandstone, the appearance was designed as a shoe sole-like geometric shape, neat and generous, stable center of gravity, its processing is very difficult, need to hammer, cut, faceted repair, involving a variety of stone carving processing of the basic techniques. Compared with various kinds of ground stone tools at the same time, it has more sense of form. It is not only a faithful record of primitive man's productive labor, but also embodies a high aesthetic value. This kind of stone tool, which unites the dual nature of labor, is often placed beside the dead as a burial object, and it is the religious appeal that can motivate the artist to create this kind of rare stone sculpture.
But during the Chalcolithic, pottery remained the dominant form of sculpture because of its ease of modeling and availability of materials. Until the invention of iron, stone sculpture remained a rare artifact, so our attention must also turn to stone petroglyphs.
Stone petroglyphs, in the appropriate conditions of the border area, is still the main form of the original line of artists, and enduring. For example, there are many Neolithic works in the rock paintings in Yinshan. Yinshan rock painting style of expression, its influence is very far-reaching and huge. As a matter of fact, most of the rock paintings created by the ancient nomads in the north and northwest of China were made by chiseling and carving stone, and their origin should be traced back to the rock paintings of Yinshan Mountain. In addition, the depiction of hunting and animals has always been an eternal theme. Shang and Zhou Jinwen in the picture of the word, the Warring States bronze realistic pattern, the Qin portrait bricks of the figure of the hunting map, are such an extension of the technique, only the latter is becoming more and more precise, formalized and rhythmic only. It can be seen that the black shadow technique of abstract generalization and exaggeration of the characteristics of the most can reflect the classical Chinese art does not emphasize the similarity, the pursuit of the aesthetic ideal of the rhyme vividly.
In addition, another source of ancient Chinese stone carving techniques, line carving, also appeared in the Neolithic era. The stone carvings found at General Cliff in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, are believed to have been chiseled by primitive ancestors at the end of the Neolithic period. This kind of line carving stone carving form, in the successive generations of stone carving creation, is the most widely used.
Neolithic stone carvings, although not many have been unearthed, but its style is not simple, but also completely different from the rock carving petroglyphs of another world. Several pieces of talc carvings from Donggou Houwa in Liaoning province, all of which are small human heads carved in the round, appear rough and strange in their knives, and their images are ancient and vivid, suggesting that they are symbolic works.
Human head stone carving despite the expression of childish defective abstract, but does not mean that the carving technique is low. Such as the Daxi culture of relief carving of the human face on the use of carving and grinding technology, and its image also has a kind of invisible religious power. Obviously, the carvers at that time were putting their main energy on creating jade carvings. Because we in the Hongshan culture and Liangzhu culture, has seen a lot of superb jade carvings as well as small stone artifacts.
The jade dragon of the Hongshan culture is a rare masterpiece, made of the harder Xiuyan jade, which is a proof of the application of stone carving techniques to the creation of jade carvings. It is well known that it is difficult to distinguish between jade and stone materials in ancient carvings, and there is only a relative view in the experts' classification criteria for connoisseurship. But one thing we can confirm is that in the Stone Age and Bronze Age, ancient carvers treated jade and stone equally, so we have seen fish-shaped stone pendants and rainbow stone decorations alongside five carvings in the Hongshan and Beiyinyangying cultures.
On the other hand, primitive artists also applied their skills extensively in the field of working with utilitarian implements, making stone pestles, mortars, grinding disks, and all kinds of stone agricultural implements, as well as in carving stone chamber-type burial mounds and stone coffins. The latter, in particular, is of great importance in the history of ancient Chinese stone architecture. The Late Neolithic stone shed found in Haicheng, Liaoning Province, is one of the masterpieces.
In the Late Paleolithic, megalithic architecture was a simple combination of natural boulders without carving, which appeared to be calm and powerful, and was a product of the primitive megalithic worship that made people transcend the world. It was once prevalent in the Eurasian steppe, then spread to the East Asian continent, no country when into the civilized era, in the border area can still find its remains. Liaoning sea in the form of a stone shed, its slabs have been carved into a regular geometry, man-made forces have been strengthened, the natural forces and the spirit of religion is obviously weakened. It is the end of the megalithic architecture. This stone-sheltered building is thought to be a tomb. In the minds of prehistoric people, megaliths were often thought to be the abode of spirits or gods, and thus they were often used as boundary stones, coffins or objects of religious worship.
To date, archaeological discoveries of Neolithic stone carvings can be roughly divided into several categories. The first category for the traditional stone carving, including the traditional typical fine stone tools and small ornaments; the second category for the grinding utility, including daily necessities, utensils and production tools, weapons; the third category for the religious nature of the idol; the fourth category for the life of the animal stone carving, faceted stone rock. Among them to utensils and animal carvings represent the highest level of stone sculpture modeling at that time. We can later in the Shang Dynasty tomb of women, see the existence of many real animals and fantasy divine animal carvings, can not help but attribute to the Neolithic era of this enthusiastic eulogizing the natural life of the stone carving tradition.
In addition, we can also appreciate the beauty of the artistic language of geometric modeling from the practical implements created by the Neolithic ancestors.
Facts show that the Neolithic stone products, such as production tools and weapons have the ability to attract people's visual aesthetics of the points, lines and contours, and they are reproduced in the form of decorative forms, constituting a geometric art language system that has never been seen before.
This is the most essential observation and experience of the ancients on the beauty of form. Therefore, the early Chinese hieroglyphic characters are delicate shapes made up of square and round lines combined with dots and scratches. This hieroglyphic writing was an artistic creation combining language and aesthetics. In fact, it is the same as the geometric modeling of primitive stone carvings.
Ancient mankind is in the creation of living tools at the same time, the creation of points, lines, squares, circles and other geometric images, we in the careful browsing of the late Neolithic typical stone products, can not help but marvel at the ancient ancestors how to have such a superb modeling skills. Although iron chiseling tools had not yet been invented, they were already able to use the most generalized points and lines to reflect the objective reality of the object. The shapes and lines of these objects are so beautiful, so symmetrical and precise. Ancient ancestors have fully understood that the most beautiful form is also the most convenient and practical shape.
Stone Carvings of the Shang Dynasty
Following the Erlitou culture is the Erligang culture, representing the remains of the middle of the Shang dynasty. At this time the production of stone tools was still important, and various kinds of pottery and plastic products were prevalent at that time, but it was rare to see striking stone carvings. Until the Yinxu culture period, into China's Bronze Age heyday, the art of stone carving again blossomed into an eye-catching luster.
The famous figures of the late Shang Dynasty are the mortar and stone figures from the tomb of Houjiazhuang in Anyang, No. 1004, and No. 376 stone figures from the tomb of Wuhao in Yinxu. These figures are carefully carved, clothing and hair style is clearly recognizable, is a direct expression of the ancient sculptor of social life, thus leaving a model for future generations to observe.
Shang dynasty society prevailed in the primitive religious view of all things spiritual, animals are also worshiped by the gods, so the stone carving artists are especially good at showing the animal world in all its forms and colors. Large animal stone carvings are mostly found in the royal capital of Anyang Yin. Houjiazhuang unearthed stone duck, the shape of the heavy, the circumference of the line carving decoration, is a kind of not stick to the original shape of the re-creation of the sharp beak and protruding eyes hook live the raptor's essential features and fierce personality, the rest of the details are omitted, the feet under the varying thickness, is to support the balance, but also to avoid a sense of monotony, and its body feathers and wings with the line carving pattern: this in the round carving modeling into a decorative design of the technique, is the Shang dynasty sculpture is different from prehistoric sculpture and the formation of a unique style of distinctive features.
Ming and Qing architectural stone carving
Ming and Qing dynasties is China's feudal society by the turmoil, recovery, prosperity and towards the collapse of the last round of the cycle, the architectural art at that time, or along the classical art analyze the tradition of the development of forward, which formed the history of ancient Chinese architectural art of the last peak.
The scale of the Ming Dynasty's palaces, mausoleums and euphoniums are very grand, attached to the art of building stone carvings in which also made a lot of innovative achievements. Qing anus away from the palace garden, but also in the scale of quality over the Ming Dynasty.
Stone Huabiao ancient, but the Ming dynasty Tiananmen white stone Huabiao has its own era of characteristics and artistic achievements. It is shaped by a variety of carving techniques unprecedented architectural decorations, the main body of the Huabiao column dragon, to press the ground hidden up the shallow relief carving out of the coiled and on the dragon, between the clouds between the ornaments, making the Huabiao magnificent and solemn, and its column head full of colorful carving of clouds, lotus petals on the stone plate decorated with round carving of the lion. Under the magnificent octagonal seat, surrounded by exquisitely carved dragon pattern railings and carved with a lion looking post. Taking an overview of the overall shape of the Huabiao, it is a sublimation of the traditional form, and at the same time, we see that the Huabiao is essentially a perfect symbol of the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures.
In fact,
The foundation of the main hall of the Forbidden City, the steps and railings, walkways, atriums, stone bridges, are all organic combinations of various stone carving art forms. These stone carvings were ordered in the twenty-fifth year of the Qianlong chiseled off the original Ming Dynasty decoration after re-carving. However, from the existing stone railings border pattern, we can still see the Ming and Qing dynasty Palace stone carving or inherit the Song and Yuan since the decorative patterns and techniques. Overview of the Ming and Qing dynasty palace gardens, the extensive use of its architectural stone carvings, can be said to the extent that there is no limit. They eloquently reflect the fact that the world's best and greatest buildings are inseparable from the stone decorative components. In the Qing dynasty royal gardens, Yuanmingyuan is known as the "garden of the garden" of the great gardens, it is sad that it was burned in 1860 in the hands of the invading allied forces of eight countries. Now we are from the ruins of the garden remains of the stone building remains, can still be glimpsed in this great champion of the ancient and modern art of garden architecture of some of the style.
Ming and qing dynasty architecture widely used stone carving art form examples, can be said to be numerous. Such as the well-known Temple of Heaven in Beijing, that is the Ming and Qing emperors sacrificed to the heavens and pray for a good year of the place, the main building under the pedestal, white stone altar, stone components are carved on the very beautiful decorations. They are under the control of the imperial government, in order to adapt to the feudal rule as well as luxury and luxury life and other needs of the creation, which is also reflected in the mausoleum building is very prominent. Nowadays, a large number of stone carvings of mausoleums of the Ming and Qing dynasties are preserved at the Imperial Tomb in Fengyang, Anhui Province, the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, the Thirteen Tombs in Beijing, the Qing East Mausoleum in Zunhua, Hebei Province, and the Qing West Mausoleum in Yixian, Hebei Province, and so on.
China Stone Sculpture Art Festival
China Stone Sculpture Art Festival ----- and China Jiaxiang Stone Sculpture Art Festival
China (Jiaxiang) Stone Sculpture Art Festival. From 2004, to "ancient art masterpiece, Chinese stone carving ceremony" as the theme of the stone carving art festival opened Jiaxiang stone carving art development curtain, after that, every year there are new goals, every year there are new results, and efforts to cultural creativity into the stone carving products, to further expand the cultural connotation of the stone carving industry, and to promote the stone carving cultural industries Leapfrog development. The day of the festival, jiaxiang stone carving culture square is filled with thousands of forms, styles of stone carving works, both from jiaxiang skilled craftsmen's favorite works, but also from other famous domestic stone carving hometowns boutique masterpieces, as well as a wide range of exotic materials, a variety of processing equipment ...... a stone carving of the feast in jiaxiang open. 2004. China (Jiaxiang) Stone Sculpture Festival in the "one side of the water and soil, into Jiaxiang" large-scale cultural performances in the opening, Thailand Zeng's clan chorus a song "China - my home" sung the excitement of the Chinese nation's blood cohesion, profound Wu's Tomb Group carvings, stretching the ancient rhythms of the International Stone Sculpture Art Boulevard, the interpretation of the modern fashion of the stone carving boutiques The 2005 China (Jiaxiang) Stone Sculpture Art Festival, with the theme of "Entering Jiaxiang, Happiness and Auspiciousness", planned and organized the Stone Sculpture Art Symposium, Zeng Zi's hometown line - Auspiciousness Tour, the International Stone Expo and Cross-Strait Celebrity Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition, "Zeng Zi's Hometown Line - Auspiciousness Tour, International Stone Expo and Cross-Strait Celebrity Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition, "Zeng Zi's Hometown Line - Auspiciousness Tour Exchange Exhibition, "Zengzi filial piety and harmonious society" forum, Zongsheng Zengzi 2510 anniversary of the birth of the sacrificial ceremony and other activities, and further highlight the Jiaxiang culture of "auspicious" new quality. 2006 China (Jiaxiang) Stone Sculpture Art Festival, to "Harmony, integrity, charm" as the theme, the grand holding of "Jiaxiang Cup" Shandong Province Top Ten Filial Piety Star Commendation Conference, the county economic development forum, suona art performances and other activities, to further enhance the Zengzi hometown (filial piety and virtue of the hometown), the hometown of stone carvings, the hometown of suona, In 2007 China (Jiaxiang) stone carving art festival, to "enhance the art of stone carving, carry forward the excellent culture, to create charm Jiaxiang" as the theme, organized the "beauty of harmony "Stone carving art works competition," stone carving art and urban sculpture "seminar and other activities, advocate the development of stone carving art creative industry, promote Jiaxiang stone carving stone realized by the resource industry to the cultural industry, high-value-added industries, from the crude management to standardized management, industrial upgrading changes.
Jiaxiang stone carving art to the local abundance of lapis lazuli as the main raw material, supplemented by marble, granite, alabaster and other famous stone jade, set quarrying, creation, sculpture processing as a whole, the product is mainly in the Dragon Pavilion dragon pillars, Qionglou Jade Pavilion, large-scale pagodas, figures, flowers and plants, birds and animals, antique utensils are mainly. Art style to lofty and majestic, simple and thick classical art style, both fresh and bright, deep meaning of modern art style, at home and abroad enjoy the "skillful work", "stone breaks the sky" of the reputation. 1996, jiaxiang county was named by the state as the "hometown of China stone carving", "China's stone carving township". "Hometown of Chinese stone carving".