Asian Statues Across the Ages

Asian statues abound in China, where the sculptures of animals and figures can be seen on roofs, in tombs and temples and guarding the entranceway of doors and important buildings. These Chinese statues are an integral part of transforming the Chinese landscape into a living vision of the artist’s world. One can often see great Chinese sculptures at the entrance to royal tombs. Many of the Chinese statues during the early period of Chinese history were crafted from wood.

However, Chinese sculptures did not enjoy the same level of attention early on as it did in Western culture. This is because early Chinese deities were not captured in Asian statues and therefore were not commissioned by the high patronage of kings or emperors. Instead, artists worked primarily on their own terms, creating other statues, not so related to religion. It was only later, when Buddhism spread to China, did their artists attempt to create religious statues of the Buddha. Even still, Buddhism did not enjoy great imperial support and so the artists who sculpted Chinese statues did not receive the same money and support as Western artists.

Another reason why Chinese sculptures were not valued the same way as in Western culture was the emphasis placed on them. In China, the highest arts were viewed to be literati painting and calligraphy, and not creating Asian statues. The scholar-officals of the time practiced these arts and considered them to be the only real veritable arts, not Chinese sculpting. Still, artisans who created Chinese statues were always needed to supply sculptures for tombs and some religious worship. Usually great attention was paid to detail, as can be seen in the famous terracotta warrior Chinese statues. These warriors were among the first to be made of clay, rather than stone or wood. These amazing Asian statues were mostly mass produced in sections with small differences in each statue for a realistic look.

While Buddhist statues were a large part of Chinese art, Chinese artists were also hard at work sculpting Chinese deities. In many cases, these deities were actually living beings who were said to work miracles. Later, after their deaths, these people were made into deities and artists created Chinese statues of them. These Chinese sculptures were meant to help win wars, bring good weather and heal the sick among many other things. One of the best known Asian statues of early China was Guan Yu, a general in the third century.

Another famous set of Asian statues were those of the Daoist deities. One such famous figure was Laozi, often thought of as the originator of Daoism. Many Chinese sculptures of Laozi were made in the two thousand plus years of Chinese sculpting. Another powerful class of Chinese statue was the Xian, or immortal. The Chinese canonized the immortals by painting and sculpting a series of eight figures. The Eight Immortals Asian statues, as they came to be known, were also used as decoration and as an auspicious symbol. They represented longevity, hope and prosperity. These Chinese statues were made in various materials, including bronze, wood, stone, ceramic, iron, coral and even ivory. Many of the Asian statues of these deities from Chinese history can be viewed in Museums around China and the world.

In ancient China, most Asian statues were made for the tomb or temples. Chinese sculptures for public settings did not occur until much later in China’s history. It was not until the 20th century that Chinese statues were set in public. One of the first was Chairman Mao, set in front of public buildings. A Chinese sculpture of the youths of the future is now erected in Tiananmen Square, in the center of Beijing. Many Chinese hope these Asian statues are a sign that old China is being left behind. Today, Chinese statues abound in shops and stores around the world. The deity statues and the ever-present Chinese dragon statues are extremely popular themes among all peoples. These Chinese statues, once only intended for tombs and temples, are now used as icons and decoration in many homes around the world.