Sculpture "The Flying Horse of Gansu", bronze

The pride-filled nobles had their horses depicted on the reliefs of their tombs or as bronze casts. When Chinese archaeologists opened a Han tomb near Wuwei in Gansu Province along the old Silk Road in 1969 and discovered this horse, the magnificent work took their breath away. It is now one of the most valuable art treasures in the world. The figure balances on a swallow with its head vividly expressing mettlesome vigour.
Original: Palace Museum, Beijing. Han Dynasty, 25-220 AD.

Made of bronze by the Lost-Wax-Process and patinated by hand. Reduction. Size of sculpture: 27 x 30 x 7 cm (h/w/d). Marble pedestal in size 3 x 22 x 12 cm (h/w/d). Weight 5 kg.

An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times.

When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. It's the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.

First, the artist forms a model of his sculpture. It is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out. The liquid wax is poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, whereby the wax flows out (lost mould).

Now we finally have the negative form, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken off and the sculpture is revealed.

Now the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist himself or, to his specifications, by a specialist. Thus, each casting becomes an original work.

For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used which, however, does not achieve the results of a more complex lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.

The earliest pieces of evidence of Chinese art are the finds from the Late Neolithic (around 5000-2000 B.C.) of the cultures named Honan and Lungshan after their localities. The art of the Shang Dynasty (16th century to 11th century B.C.) is represented by sacred bronzes, bronze weapons, pottery and jade carvings, which were 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 gauzes 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 was the jade burial suit of Princess Tou Wan consisted of 2160 plates of solid jade connected with gold wires, discovered in a burial mound, 150 km southwest of Beijing in 1968. In addition to numerous grave goods, the world-famous lamp of Mancheng, a 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, a unified China grew into a cosmopolitan empire. The highly developed gold- and silversmithing shows the influences of foreign cultures. The presence of foreigners can also be seen 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 painting and calligraphy were not encouraged by the rulers, they developed to new heights. 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 printing 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 and porcelain 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 is a popular collection object since the 17th century.

A true-to-the-original reproduction of an artwork in the same size and with the best possible material and colour uniformity.

The mould is usually taken directly from the original so that the replication reproduces even the finest details. After casting the replication, using the most appropriate method, the surface is polished, patinated, gilded or painted according to the original.

A replication of ars mundi is a recognizable copy of the original.

A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.

While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, in bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.

The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.

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