TWO DONORS
China, Hubei province
Eastern Zhou dynasty
4th century BC
Wood
H. 28”
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TWO DONORS |
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| During the
dynasty of the Eastern Zhou (770-221 BC) the human sacrifices that were
made in conjunction with the burial of the dead were symbolically replaced
by the use of figurines—initially of wood like these ones, and about
the 3rd c. BC mainly of terracotta like those on p. 35. This change marked
the beginning of a vast production of images which, due to their function
of accompanying the soul of the deceased, were called “objects of
the spirit” (mingqi). Even though the mingqi were created as funerary
equipment replacing the real items, it seems not unreasonable to consider
them as part of the cult of ancestors which, according to the Confucian
philosophy, was and still remains one of the most distinctive elements
of Chinese culture. These statues portray two donor figures (probably female) in a ritual attitude. The missing hands and feet were carved separately and attached to the body by means of small tenons. They wear a long garment, closely fitting at chest height and flaring out in a cone shape towards the feet. The head is a perfect oval, and the face, slightly sunken, is modelled by the sharp line of the nose and by the curve of the bulging forehead. The mouth is a plain incision and the open eyes are purely paintwork. The expression is mysterious and imperturbable. The thin and incredibly slender body seems a composition of geometric forms producing an abstract image rather than a realistic depiction of the figure. The plainness and the strong stylisation of the forms makes for an effect of arcane charm. |
© Renzo Freschi