Pottery sculptures have been discovered in various periods such as the Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty, Western Zhou Dynasty, and Spring and Autumn Period. Most of these works are made of fine clay gray pottery, with a few exceptions of fine clay red or black pottery, and all were handcrafted. The majority depict various animal forms, with a small number of sculpted human figures. These sculptures are generally standalone pieces, though some serve as attachments to other pottery vessels.
Pottery sculptures from the Xia Dynasty equivalent period are rare as independent pieces, with most appearing as motifs on pottery, such as snakes, rabbits, and tadpoles. Pottery sculpture flourished during the early and middle Shang Dynasty. Near the large early Shang palace ruins at Erlitou in Yanshi, Henan, pottery sculptures of turtles, sheep heads, toads, and birds have been unearthed, showcasing vivid and lifelike depictions. For example, a pottery toad not only captures a lively posture but also features densely carved small circles on its back to mimic the texture of a toad’s skin. Similarly, a sculpted pottery sheep head has forward-curving horns, with realistically rendered eyes, nose, and mouth, clearly resembling a sheep.
From the middle Shang Dynasty site in Zhengzhou, Henan, pottery sculptures of turtles, tigers, sheep heads, fish, pigs, bird heads, and seated human figures have been excavated, with turtles being the most numerous. These sculptures are also remarkably lifelike. One pottery tiger, for instance, is depicted crouching with wide eyes and bared teeth, conveying a fierce and menacing appearance. Another example is a pottery fish adorned with realistic scale patterns.
Pottery sculptures from the late Shang Dynasty are relatively scarce, possibly due to the significant increase in jade and stone sculptures during that period. Thus, in the late Shang capital ruins of Yinxu in Anyang, Henan, few pottery sculptures have been found apart from a small number of turtles and sheep. However, at the late Shang site in Wucheng, Qingjiang, Jiangxi, pottery sculptures of birds, human faces, and ancestral figures have been discovered.
Pottery sculptures from the Western Zhou Dynasty are also rare. At the Western Zhou capital site in Fenghao, Chang’an, Shaanxi, a vividly crafted pottery ox head was found, while a lifelike pottery bird was unearthed at a Spring and Autumn Period site in Houma, Shaanxi.
Overall, the pottery sculptures from the Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, and Spring and Autumn periods predominantly feature animal imagery, reflecting the aesthetic sensibilities and real-life inspirations of people during those times.
