The Silk Road and Beyond: The Art of Early China and Korea
	China :: Korea
	KOREA Korea is a northeast Asian peninsula that shares borders with China and Russia, and faces the islands of Japan. Korea's pivotal location is a key factor in understanding the relationship of its art to that of China and the influence of its art on that of Japan. In the early centuries, the Koreans used Chinese characters to write Korean words, but later they invented their own phonetic alphabet. Three Kingdoms Period China and the three kingdoms: Pottery-producing cultures appeared on the Korean peninsula in the Neolithic period no later than 6000 BCE, and the Korean Bronze Age dates from ca. 1000 BCE. About 100 BCE, during the Han dynasty, the Chinese established outposts in Korea. By the middle of the century, however, three native kingdoms - Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla - controlled most of the Korean peninsula and reigned for more than seven centuries until Silla completed its conquest of its neighbors in 668. Buddhism was introduced into Korea from China in the fourth century CE. The Koreans in turn transmitted it from the peninsula to Japan in the sixth century. Gold crowns in silla tombs: Tombs of the Silla kingdom have yielded spectacular artifacts that reveal the wealth and power of the rulers. The gold crown, from a tomb at Hwangnamdong, is embellished with jade. The stylized tree and antler forms are believed to symbolize life and supernatural power. The crowns are related to Siberian forms. 3-26: Crown, from north mound of tomb 98 at Hwangnamdong, near Kyongju, Korea, Silla kingdom, fifth to sixth century. Gold, 10 3/4" high. Kyongju National Museum, Kyongju. crown crown crown crown Unified Silla Kingdom Aided by China's emperor, the Silla conquered the Koguryo and Paekche kingdoms and unified Korea in 668. Many consider the Unified Silla Kingdom (668 - 935) to be Korea's golden age. Buddhist Sokkuram: In 372 CE, in the Paekche kingdom, Buddhism arrived in Korea from China. Korea, in turn, helped spread Buddhism and Buddhist art to Japan. Korea's golden age is the era of the unified Great Silla (688-935), contemporary with the Tang dynasty's brilliant culture in China. Buddhism continued to flourish, and Great Silla's prosperity made possible the building of numerous temples and monasteries. Among Buddhism's most impressive monuments from this period is the granite cave at Sokkuram, with its reliefs and freestanding figures. The majestic main image of Sakyamuni Buddha remains faithful to its distant Indian iconographic prototype. The Korean statue also draws on the robust figures and drapery of Tang China. However, the figure has a distinctly broad-shouldered dignity combined with harmonious proportions with no close precedents. 3-27: Shakyamuni Buddha, at entrance to cave temple, Sokkuram, Korea, Great Silla, 751-774. Granite, approx. 11' high. Buddha at Sokkuram Buddha at Sokkuram Buddha at Sokkuram sculptures at Sokkuram Buddha at Sokkuram Koryo Dynasty Though Buddhism was the established religion of Korea, Confucianism shaped social and political conventions. In the ninth century, the three old kingdoms began to reemerge as distinct political entities, and the Koryo dominated for the next three centuries. Celadon ware: Koryo potters in the 12th century produced the famous Korean celadon. Translucent iron-pigmented glazes, fired in an oxygen-deprived kiln, characterize celadon wares. Incised or engraved designs in the vessel alter the glaze's thickness to produce elegant tonal variations. A vase in the shape known as maebyong probably dates to early in the Koryo period. The incised motifs of flying cranes were filled with slip, then covered with the celadon glaze. Variation in the spacing of the motifs shows the artist's awareness of the relationship between ornamentation and ceramic volume. 3-28: Maebyong vase, Koryo period, ca. 918-1000. Celadon with inlaid decoration, 1' 4 1/2" tall. Kansong Art Museum, Seoul. Maebyong vase Maebyong vase Similar
	China :: Korea