I am just back from a few days in Sydney and while I was there I managed to sneak in a visit to the Art Gallery of NSW to see China’s entombed warriors.
The First Emperor: China’s entombed warriors reveals the fascinating story of a key figure in world history, who unified China, leaving a legacy that has lasted over 2000 years, Qin Shibuang.
As well as the amazing terracotta warriors on display there was a range of cast bronze ceremonial vessels and bells, ornamental gold and jade, weapons and armour, palatial architectural remains, pottery and ceramics.
In the last room of the exhibition were some life-size bronze animals, just recently discovered.
All of the pieces including the entombed warriors were truly fascinating, the amount of intricate details were amazing. I would love to see how the cast vessels were made with such detail and fine lines. The terracotta warriors display included two horses with all pieces being life sized or larger. Again the attention to detail and the craftsmanship was amazing.
Even if ancient art is not your taste it is worth a visit just to admire the amazing craftsmanship with which all of the pieces are executed.
The exhibition runs until the 13th of March, 2011.
