terracotta

Examples of terracotta in the following topics:

• Sculpture of the Qin Dynasty

  • The Qin Dynasty is perhaps best known for the impressive Terracotta Army built to protect Qin Shihuang in the afterlife.
  • The Terracotta Army was inconspicuous due to its underground location and was not discovered until 1974.
  • Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.
  • The terracotta army figures were manufactured in workshops by government laborers and local craftsmen using local materials.
  • The Terracotta Army consists of more than 7,000 life-size tomb terracotta figures of warriors and horses, buried with the first Emperor of Qin in 210 BCE.

• Ile-Ife

  • Ilé-Ifè, an ancient Yoruba city in Nigeria, is known worldwide for its naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures.
  • Ilé-Ifè is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their artistic peak between 1200 and 1400 A.D.
  • Bronze and terracotta art are significant examples of realism in pre-colonial African art.
  • Prince referred to the terracotta artists of 900 A.D. as the founders of art guilds.
  • Explain the significance of the the bronze, stone, and terracotta sculptures of Ilé-Ifè

• The Qin Dynasty

  • The tomb was filled with thousands and thousands of life-sized (or larger) terracotta soldiers meant to guard the emperor in his afterlife.
  • This terracotta army was rediscovered in the twentieth century.
  • A close-up of two soldiers in the terracotta army.

• Art of the Middle Kingdom

  • The spectacular Terracotta Army was assembled for the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China from 221–210 BCE, as a means of enabling the deceased to enjoy the same lifestyle in the afterlife.
  • Crossbow men from the Terracotta Army, interred by 210 BCE, Qin Dynasty
  • The spectacular Terracotta Army was assembled for the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China from 221–210 BCE.

• Harappan Culture

  • Indus Valley excavation sites have revealed a number of distinct examples of the culture’s art, including sculptures, seals, pottery, gold jewelry, and anatomically detailed figurines in terracotta, bronze, and steatite—more commonly known as Soapstone.
  • Among the various gold, terracotta, and stone figurines found, a figure of a “Priest-King” displayed a beard and patterned robe.
  • Terracotta works also included cows, bears, monkeys, and dogs.
  • Other trade goods included terracotta pots, gold, silver, metals, beads, flints for making tools, seashells, pearls, and colored gem stones, such as lapis lazuli and turquoise.
  • The Indus River Valley Civilization created figurines from terracotta, as well as bronze and steatite.

• Benin

  • Typically made from bronze, brass, clay, ivory, terracotta, or wood, works of art were produced mainly for the court of the Oba (king) of Benin.
  • These commemorative objects were made of brass, wood, terracotta, or clay depending on the patron's hierarchical ranking.

• Indus Valley Civilization

  • Archaeologists have excavated sculptures, seals, pottery, gold jewelry, elaborate beadwork, and anatomically detailed figurines in terracotta, ceramic, bronze, lead, tin, and steatite from the ancient Indus Valley area.
  • A number of bronze, gold, stone, and terracotta figures of girls in dance poses reveal the presence of some dance forms from the time, and a harp-like instrument depicted on a seal indicates the use of stringed musical instruments.

• The Rise of Egyptian Civilization

  • This terracotta female figure, c. 3500-3400 BCE, is housed at the Brooklyn Museum.

• Decline of the Maurya Empire

  • The Mathura art style took hold during this time, and many small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures, and architectural monuments from the Sunga period are still in existence.
  • Art and learning prospered under Sunga patronage, as seen in this terracotta tablet of the Sunga Royal family.

• The Yoruba States

  • Ile-Ife is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze as well as stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400.
  • In the period around 1300 the artists at Ife developed a refined and naturalistic sculptural tradition in terracotta, stone, and copper alloy—copper, brass, and bronze—many of which appear to have been created under the patronage of King Obalufon II, the man who today is identified as the Yoruba patron deity of brass casting, weaving, and regalia. 
  • Ile-Ife is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone, and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400.