Terra-cotta Army at VMFA

Yesterday we made one of our occasional trips to Richmond, and we stopped by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to see the special exhibit of pieces from China's "Terracotta Army". We had seen pieces from the Terracotta Army in Chicago's Field Museum in January 2017, and it was interesting to see the difference in emphasis between a natural history museum and an art museum. The Field Museum had more emphasis on the Terracotta Army itself and how it was manufactured in workshops. The VMFA emphasized the early history of China (roughly 800 to 200 BCE) and put the pieces into their historical context.

The first three galleries included pieces from royal tombs preceding the First Emperor.

A carpet weight -- used to keep the corners of carpets from curling up. The bronze deer surrounds a large seashell.

This ceramic garment hanger is decorated with silver and gold.

An early ceramic horse and rider showing the Mongolian influence in northern China around 800 BCE.

The final gallery was filled with artifacts from the excavations at Xi'an. This necropolis/mausoleum complex was discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974. The site occupies an amazing 38 square miles! Only a small fraction has been excavated.

An army general.

The kneeling archer. The crossbow he holds was made of wood that rotted away long ago.

Cavalry soldier and his horse. The hole in the side of the horse was most likely there to facilitate firing in a kiln.

Four-horse chariot and driver. (Replica)

In April, this exhibit moves the the Cincinnati Art Museum.