Chinese Art History

A detailed Summary of Chinese Art History

In Wu Hung's discussion of traditional Chinese concepts of

monumentality, he utilizes the ancient legend of the Nine Bronze Tripods

to illustrate how the traditions (including ancestral temple and ritual

vessels, capital city and palaces, and tomb and funerary paraphernalia) of

early Chinese cultures can be better understood after identifying their

monumentality. According to the myth, in 605 B.C., a Chu lord lead a

campaign near the Zhou capital at Luoyang where he was greeted by the

minister Wangsun Man. After the lord inquired about the size and weight

of the Nine Tripods, Wagsun Man answered with a passage stating the

three distinct intentions of the tripods which forms the basis of ritual art

Foremost, the Nine Tripods were made to honor important political

events, notably the establishment of the Xia after which an organized

power became evident. The T

changing of hands and locations of the Tripods, the political power

Subsequently, the Nine Tripods became a symbol of Power - whomever

campaigned and, thus, were the legitimate ruler of China as mandated by

Zhou dynasty, they still possessed the Nine Tripods when the Chu lord

Heaven. Only once the Chu lord obtained the Tripods would Power follow.

inscribed on the Tripods which were likely decorative emblems of local

Not only were the Tripods a result of important events in ancient China,

was in possession of the Tripods held political power as well. With the

willing to be possessed by the rightful owners.

Approximate Word count = 1385
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts

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