Sculpture "Chinese Han Dragon", bonded bronze

The earliest pieces of evidence of Chinese art are the findinings from the Late Neolithic period (around 5000-2000 B.C.) of the cultures named Honan and Lungshan, after their discovery sites. The art of the Shang Dynasty (16th century to 11th century B.C.) is characterised by sacred bronzes, bronze weapons, ceramics, and jade carvings excavated in the area of today's Changzhou. During the Chang-kuo period (481 - 222 B.C.), the independence of the feudal lords led to the flourishing luxury in the princely tombs. In the Hupeh province, bronze mirrors, chimes, and demon-repelling head masks as well as wooden figures, jade carvings, and embroidered silk fabrics were excavated.

Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 9 A.D.)
China's supremacy in Central Asia is testified to by numerous archaeological finds. Amongst the most important is the jade burial robe, consisting of 2160 jade plate held together with gold wires, of Princess Tou Wan, discovered in 1968 in a burial mound 150 km southwest of Beijing. In addition to numerous grave goods, the world-famous lamp of Mancheng, a fully modeled bronze sculpture of a palace servant, was also discovered there. Stone reliefs and murals depict historical themes and bear witness to the high level of art of this period.

Six Dynasties Period (221-589)
In the third century, Buddha and Bodhisattvas first appeared in the decoration of mirrors and as gold-plated small sculptures. Poetry, calligraphy and music gained importance.

Tang Dynasty (618-906)
Under the Tang rulers, unified China grew into a cosmopolitan empire. The highly developed gold- and silversmithing shows the influences of foreign cultures. The presence of foreigners is also evident in the ceramic tomb figures of this time.

Song Dynasty (960 - 1279)
The characteristic of the painting of the Northern Song period is the development of a specifically Chinese landscape painting. During the Song period, ceramics experienced an artistic peak.

Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368)
Although not supported by the rulers, painting and calligraphy flourished once again. Towards the end of the Yuan period, the first blue and white porcelain were produced.

Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)
This period marked the emergence of the first book printing and the production of colour woodblock. Art connoisseurship and collecting increased. In painting, new levels of high performance have been reached. The Ming Dynasty of the 15th century is the golden age of blue and white porcelain as well as porcelain decorated with copper or iron red underglaze painting.

Ch'ing and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912)
The art traditions of former periods were continued. As before, the painting played a significant role. The porcelain art of the period is of high quality. In addition to blue and white porcelain, opaque products from bisque porcelain were increasingly manufactured. Chinese porcelain has been a highly sought-after collector's item since the 17th century.