Why did the Song dynasty focus on landscape painting?
Most highly prized on the Southern Song Dynasty ware was Guan, which literally means 'imperial,' and logically enough, was made exclusively for imperial use. It is thought to have been started by expatriate Northern Song Ru potters who fled the Tartar invasions of the early 12th century, and set up kilns at Hangzhou.
What were the characteristics of the Song dynasty?
The Southern Song (1127–1279) refers to the period after the Song lost control of its northern half to the Jurchen Jin dynasty in the Jin-Song Wars. The Song dynasty restored unity and became the richest, most skilled, and most populous country on earth. The population doubled in size during the 10th and 11th centuries, growth made possible ...
How did the Song dynasty change the world?
The architecture of the Song dynasty (960–1279) was noted for its towering Buddhist pagodas, enormous stone and wooden bridges, lavish tombs, and extravagant palaces.Although literary works on architecture existed beforehand, architectural writing blossomed during the Song dynasty, maturing into a more professional form that described dimensions and working …
How did the Song Dynasty repair their ships?
The Song dynasty (; Chinese: 宋朝; pinyin: Sòng cháo; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou, ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.The Song often came into conflict with the contemporaneous Liao, Western …
What causes the crackling effect on Guan wares?
The colors of glaze are determined by the mineral oxides used and various aspects of the firing conditions. contract at different rates after the firing, the tension caused would generate the crackles.
What is the meaning behind cracks on Song ceramics?
Patterns of crackle lines form in the glaze, allowing the dark, clay body to peak through. The crackles are not entirely accidental cracks—a defect that would sometimes occur from a failed firing of ceramics—instead, the potters intentionally created this effect for its visual appeal.
What does Song dynasty porcelain emphasize?
The wares of the Song dynasty are particularly noted for brilliant feldspathic glazes over a stoneware body and their emphasis on simplicity of form.
How can you tell a Song Dynasty pottery?
Song dynasty (960-1279) ceramics have straightforward shapes and, says Mowry, are mostly 'characterised by light-coloured, subtly-hued glazes'. Though kilns often produced various types of wares, in general each was known for producing a specific type of ware.Mar 12, 2018
Why are Ming vases important?
The Ming dynasty is rightly famous for its fine ceramics and especially the cobalt blue-and-white porcelain produced in such towns as Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province. Still highly prized by collectors today, Ming porcelain would have a major influence on the ceramics of many other countries from Japan to Britain.Feb 4, 2019
What is porcelain clay?
Porcelain clay is a clay body that draws in many a potter because of its bright white color, translucency, and the way glazes look oh so fabulous on it. But it's a fussy little clay body susceptible to collapsing during the forming process (especially on the pottery wheel) and warping during the firing.Oct 14, 2021
What are specific qualities characteristics of painting during the Song dynasty?
Thus paintings typically depicted vast, sweeping landscapes. In contrast, the Nan Song concerned themselves primarily with reforming society from the bottom up and on a much smaller scale. Therefore, their paintings tended to feature smaller, more intimate scenes.
What themes are present in Song dynasty landscape paintings?
The emphasis on landscape painting in the Song period was grounded in Chinese philosophy. Taoism stressed that humans were but tiny specks among vast and greater cosmos, while Neo-Confucianist writers often pursued the discovery of patterns and principles that they believed caused all social and natural phenomena.
What were the arts and architecture of the Song Dynasty?
The architecture of the Song dynasty (960–1279) was noted for its towering Buddhist pagodas, enormous stone and wooden bridges, lavish tombs, and extravagant palaces.
What are some achievements of the Song Dynasty?
Just a few of these advancements included improvements in agriculture, development of moveable type, uses for gunpowder, invention of a mechanical clock, superior shipbuilding, the use of paper money, compass navigation, and porcelain production.
Was the Yuan Dynasty successful?
During the period from Kublai Khan to the third Yuan emperor, the Yuan Dynasty was prosperous.Nov 22, 2021
How do you spot Ru ware?
Under bright sunshine, the stoneware displays a golden touch on a celadon base; under dim light, the bluish tint becomes more pronounced. Another hallmark of Ru ware is the crazing, fine lines or cracks on the glaze layer.Feb 24, 2018
What was the Song Dynasty known for?
The architecture of the Song dynasty (960–1279) was noted for its towering Buddhist pagodas, enormous stone and wooden bridges, lavish tombs, and extravagant palaces.
What is Yingzao Fashi?
Yingzao Fashi is a technical treatise on architecture and craftsmanship written at the Directorate of Buildings and Construction. The book was completed in 1100 and presented to Emperor Zhezong of Song in the last year of his reign. His successor, Emperor Huizong of Song, had the treatise officially published three years later, in 1103, for the benefit of foremen, architects, and literate craftsmen. The book was intended to provide standard regulations, to not only the engineering agencies of the central government, but also the many workshops and artisan families throughout China who could benefit from using a well-written government manual on building practices.
How tall is the Yunyan Pagoda?
The Yunyan Pagoda, 47 m (154 ft) in height, built in 961 AD. The Liaodi Pagoda of Hebei, built in 1055 under the Northern Song. Following the reign of the Han dynasty, (202 BC–220 AD), the idea of the Buddhist stupa entered Chinese culture as a means to house and protect scriptural sutras.
Where is the Liuhe Pagoda located?
It is located in the Southern Song capital of Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, at the foot of Yuelun Hill facing the Qiantang River.
What was the most important innovation in the Song Dynasty?
The most important nautical innovation of the Song period seems to have been the introduction of the magnetic mariner's compass , which permitted accurate navigation on the open sea regardless of the weather. The magnetized compass needle – known in Chinese as the "south-pointing needle" – was first described by Shen Kuo in his 1088 Dream Pool Essays and first mentioned in active use by sailors in Zhu Yu 's 1119 Pingzhou Table Talks .
What was the Song Dynasty?
The Song dynasty was an era of administrative sophistication and complex social organization. Some of the largest cities in the world were found in China during this period (Kaifeng and Hangzhou had populations of over a million). People enjoyed various social clubs and entertainment in the cities, and there were many schools and temples to provide the people with education and religious services. The Song government supported social welfare programs including the establishment of retirement homes, public clinics, and paupers ' graveyards. The Song dynasty supported a widespread postal service that was modeled on the earlier Han dynasty (202 BCE – CE 220) postal system to provide swift communication throughout the empire. The central government employed thousands of postal workers of various ranks to provide service for post offices and larger postal stations. In rural areas, farming peasants either owned their own plots of land, paid rents as tenant farmers, or were serfs on large estates.
What was the name of the city in the Song Dynasty?
During the Northern Song ( Chinese: 北宋; 960–1127), the Song capital was in the northern city of Bianjing (now Kaifeng) and the dynasty controlled most of what is now Eastern China.
Who was the leader of the Yuan Dynasty?
Kublai officially declared the creation of the Yuan dynasty in 1271. In 1275, a Song force of 130,000 troops under Chancellor Jia Sidao was defeated by Kublai's newly appointed commander-in-chief, general Bayan. By 1276, most of the Song territory had been captured by Yuan forces, including the capital Lin'an.
What was the odometer used for in the Han Dynasty?
As early as the Han dynasty, when the state needed to accurately measure distances traveled throughout the empire, the Chinese relied on a mechanical odometer. The Chinese odometer was a wheeled carriage, its gearwork being driven by the rotation of the carriage's wheels; specific units of distance—the Chinese li —were marked by the mechanical striking of a drum or bell as an auditory signal. The specifications for the 11th-century odometer were written by Chief Chamberlain Lu Daolong, who is quoted extensively in the historical text of the Song Shi (compiled by 1345). In the Song period, the odometer vehicle was also combined with another old complex mechanical device known as the south-pointing chariot. This device, originally crafted by Ma Jun in the 3rd century, incorporated a differential gear that allowed a figure mounted on the vehicle to always point in the southern direction, no matter how the vehicle's wheels turned about. The concept of the differential gear that was used in this navigational vehicle is now found in modern automobiles in order to apply an equal amount of torque to a car's wheels even when they are rotating at different speeds.
Who was the last emperor of Song?
The last remaining ruler, the 13-year-old emperor Emperor Huaizong of Song, committed suicide, along with Prime Minister Lu Xiufu and 1300 members of the royal clan.
What is the oldest star chart?
One of the star charts from Su Song 's Xin Yi Xiang Fa Yao published in 1092, featuring cylindrical projection similar to Mercator projection and the corrected position of the pole star thanks to Shen Kuo's astronomical observations. Su Song's celestial atlas of five star maps is actually the oldest in printed form.
Who created landscapes and calligraphy?
u0001In 1699, Zhu Da (Bada Shanren) created Landscapes and Calligraphy dedicated to a gentleman friend. The eighteen leaf album was executed in ink on paper. The first six leaves reproduce the famous Preface to the Orchid Pavilion. The remaining twelve leaves constitute six pairs of landscapes and original verses.
Who is Sir Percival?
As a collector, Sir Percival pursued Ru wares with dedication, and managed to accumulate the largest collection of Ru wares outside China. As a scholar, he undertook extensive research into the ware, with particular emphasis on references in historical Chinese literary sources.
