Gr. 11 Ceramics, ancient ceramic sculpture up to 18th century porcelain figurines

1. Unit 4: Sculpture

2. Ancient Sculpture
The figurine is one of the oldest examples of
clay sculpture.
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A figurine is a miniature sculpture of a human,
deity (god/goddess) or animal.
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They can be realistic or stylized, depending on
the skill and goals of the creator.
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The earliest figurines were made of stone or
clay.
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3. Venus Figurines
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Prehistoric figurines of pregnant
women are called “Venus
Figurines”
They are so named because they
may represent the goddess, Venus,
or they may be connected to fertility.
They have mostly been discovered in
Europe, but have also been found as
far east as Siberia and as far south
as Africa.

4. Venus Figurines
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The two oldest examples
were made of stone, and
were found in Africa and
Asia.
They are several hundred
thousand years old!
Many made of fired clay
have been found in Europe
that date back to 25,000 –
30,000 B.C. These are the
oldest ceramic objects
known.
Seated Mother Goddess, 6,000 B.C., found in Turkey

5. Examples of Venus Figurines
Venus of Dolni Vestonice, made of clay, 29,000 –
25,000 B.C., Found in the Czech Republic
Venus of Willendorf, made of limestone,
24,000 – 22,000 B.C., found in Austria

6. Tanagra Figurines
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In Ancient Greece, figurines were a major
industry.
Tanagra figurines are the figurines made in
the town of Tanagra in Ancient Greece in the
late 4th century B.C.
Tanagra figurines were often religious (used as
cult images or votive objects), but later included
everyday figures used for decoration.

7. Tanagra Figurines
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They were coated in white slip before
firing, and sometimes painted afterwards
with watercolours.
Tanagra figurines depict real women and some men and boys - in everyday
costume, with familiar accessories (like
hats or fans).
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They are usually about 10 – 20 cm high.
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They usually have draping garments.
“Dame en Bleu” (“Lady in Blue”), currently at the Louvre in Paris, France

8. Tanagra Figurines
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Although they were made in
Tanagra, they were exported
to distant markets.
The main collections are from
the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C.
Similar figurines were made in
other Mediterranean sites,
including Italy and Egypt.

9. Ancient Egyptian
Sculpture
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Ancient Egyptian ceramic
sculpture sometimes combined
vessels with sculpted
components.
A lot of their artwork was related
to their royalty (the Pharoahs)

10. Ancient Egyptian Sculpture
Sculpted vessel
Bust of Queen Nefertiti

11. Moche Sculpture
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Portrait vase
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Warrior pot
The Moche culture (1 –
800 A.D.), from the north
of modern Peru, produced
clay sculptures and
effigies decorated with
red slip.
Their portrait vases
combine their stirrup
vessels with expressive
faces.

12. Nok Sculpture
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The Nok culture was
located in Nigeria (in
West Africa) from 1,000
B.C. - 300 A.D.
They were the earliest
sub-Saharan producer
of life-sized terracotta
sculptures.

13. Chinese Horse Sculptures
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The horse has been important in Asian cultures
since it was domesticated around 3,000 B.C.
Horses were believed to be powerful enough to
carry their riders to immortality
They were the inspiration behind many poems,
songs, paintings and sculptures.

14. Chinese Horse Sculptures
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During the Shang Dynasty (1600 – 1100 B.C.),
real horses and human charioteers were buried
alive in royal tombs, to serve the deceased in
the afterlife.
During the Qin dynasty (221 – 206 B.C.), the
emperor was buried with thousands of life-sized
sculptures of soldiers and hundreds of horse
sculptures.

15. Chinese Horse Sculptures
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The Tang Dynasty (618 – 906 A.D.) was a time
of cultural greatness in China. The horse was
used in battle, hunting, and sport.
Tang potters produced huge numbers of objects
for their owners' tombs, called mingqi. Mingqi
included figures of humans and animals, pots
and bowls, and models of houses.

16. Japanese Horse Sculptures
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In Japan, around the time of the Tang Dynasty
in China, artists were making large
earthenware figures that encircled their burial
mounds.
These Japanese sculptures of horses, soldiers,
and other animals are called haniwa.

19. The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
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Like the ancient Egyptians, the ancient
Chinese filled their tombs with personal
possessions to improve the afterlife.
The most elaborate collection of burial objects
ever found by archeologists is the tomb of
Emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who died in 210 B.C.

20. The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
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Emperor Qin Shihuangdi had unified
China roughly into the nation it is today.
“Qin” (pronounced “chin”) is the
Western root of the name for China.
Emperor Qin had an army of life-sized
terracotta soldiers created to guard his
tomb.

21. The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
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Qin's clay army includes more than 8,000 life-size warrior
figures with individualized features.
There are warriors, archers, cavalrymen and foot soldiers,
as well as 130 chariots and 670 life-size horses.
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The figures were once brightly painted

22. The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
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The warrior figures vary in height according to their roles,
with the generals being the tallest. They also have different
uniforms and hairstyles according to their rank.
Other non-military figures were also found, including
officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
The terracotta army was discovered accidentally in 1974
by farmers.

23. The Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
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The terracotta army figures were made by government
labourers and local craftsmen.
They were built in parts. The head, arms, legs, and torsos
were created separately and then assembled.
It is likely that face moulds were used, and then clay was
added to model individual features.
Most of the figures originally held real weapons, like
spears, swords, and crossbows.

26. Porcelain Figurines
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Porcelain figurines originated in ancient China.
In China, figurines were often used as grave goods
(buried with the dead) and religious items.
Porcelain is a very pure clay, fired to extremely high
temperatures. Porcelain used to be as expensive as gold.
In the 18th century, Europeans tried to develop their own
porcelain.
In addition to dishes, 18th European porcelain work
included figurines of people and animals.

27. Porcelain Figurines
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The first European porcelain
figurines were made in Meissen,
Germany. So they are known as
Meissen-ware.
Soon the process used in
Meissen was copied in other
cities, like Dresden, Germany.
Artists produced original
models from which a mould
could be made. This allowed
numerous copies of the same
figurine to be produced quickly.
“Korean girl”, a Meissen figurine

28. Porcelain Figurines
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Contrary to Chinese traditions,
European figurines were completely
secular (non-religious).
European figurines were brightly
glazed.
Often European figurines were
modelled in groups, and had a
strong narrative element.
Today, two companies which produce
porcelain figurines are Royal Doulton
and Lladro.
Top: Lladro figurine,
Bottom: Royal Doulton