Statue of Guan Yu

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Statue of Guan Yu used to be kept in Temple of Guan Yu in Taiyuan, Shanxi, which is now cherished in the Palace Museum of Beijing. As a masterpiece of colored sculpture of the Ming Dynasty, it is highly praised by people for ages. Statue of Guan Yu strongly shows Guan Yu s brave majestic appearance and honest and tolerant character. With hood, corslet and coat armor, he holds weapon with heroic postures. Fortitude is expressed in his face. This artwork features wonderful proportion, orderly expressive style, bright highlights and interchange between simplicity and complexity. Colorful painting is very refifi ned with brilliant and lofty colors.

Guan Yu (?-220)

Guan Yu had alias of Yunchang, who was a native of Jie County, Hedong (in today’s southeast Linyi, Shanxi). He was a general of Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period. He is on the scroll of fame due to braveness and loyalism, who becomes unique god worshipped by common people. In the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, people’s worship for Guan Yu reached the peak. In Buddhism, Guan Yu was worshipped as Sangharama (protective god of temple). In Taoism, Guan Yu was worshipped as “Exorcism God”. And in Confucius, Guan Yu was worshipped as “Saint of Martial Art” with equal status as Confucius. Sacrifice ceremony for Guan Yu was held at national level.

Sculptures of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty

In the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, sculptures used in tombs and religious buildings featured large scale, rich materials and super skills, but they followed obsolete patterns, single artwork appearance and lacked creativity and internal vitality. At the same time, appreciative and decorative sculptures sprang up with different appearances, which were popular in imperial court and among common people.

Wood Carving

Wood carving refers to artworks made of wood, bamboo and other materials. It is widely used in tomb figurines, tomb-guarding beasts, facial masks, religious statues and building components. Its creation highlights knife craftsmanship. Artistic expression focuses on making use of natural features of wood to seek after inner expressive power. Ancient Chinese wood carving artworks are often applied with lacquer and painted with colors.