The human Anatomy of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions Polychrome Sculptures

This book delves into the painted sculptures of the Tang and Song dynasties in Qinglian Temple and the Yuhuang Temple in Zezhou County，Jincheng City，Shanxi Province.The author not only describes in detail the historical background and artistic characteristics of these painted sculptures but also combines historical materials with inscription records，and puts forward unique insights into the imaging age and identity of certain painted sculptures.

TangBrilliance，SongSplendor：AStudyon Polychrome SculpturesfromQinglian Templeand YuhuangTempleof theTangand SongDynasties -NationalTreasuresofZezhou

Zhao Xuemei

Beijing Yanshan Publishing

House

June 2024

528.00 （CNY） hishall of sculptures can

1 beconsidereda revolution in the history of Chinese polychrome sculpture.For example，theartistictechniques employed inthe HallofTwelve Zodiac Deitiesstrictlyadhere to conventions，depicting mysterious，serene，divine，andetherealdeities who seem to existbeyond the mortalrealm.Theirfaint，almost elusiveexpressionsare refined andtranscendent，buttheirfacial features，while free of worldly desires，retain a hint of soulfulness. The 24 female attendant statues on the elevated platforms flanking the main hall have shed the subservient postures typical of the Jade Emperor'sattendantsat the central altar. Instead，their faces vividlyportraythe full spectrum of human emotions and desires. As for the deities in the TwentyEight Lunar Mansions Hall，they are depicted as true human beings. The ancient artisans infused their own thoughts into the clay， using physical forms to express the soul， personality，and emotions of their subjects.Every artist has a unique perspective，sentiment，and level of craftsmanship.The artistry of sculpture demandsdeliberate dynamism，as every pose must present a visually coherent sense of movement.The sculptures emphasize muscular solidity， capturing the visceral power of the human body. The TwentyEight Lunar Mansions polychrome sculptures innovatively depict 28 distinct human postures from unified viewing angles.Rather than rigidly adhering to anatomical conventions forthe Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions figures，artisans incorporated calculated spatial relationships and purposeful

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artisticexaggerationtailored toeachcontext.Amasterful anatomicalarticulationisevident inthe renderingofskeletalmuscle， vascular details，musculature， and sinews throughout the ensemble.Byamplifying the inclination between the waist and thighs，combined with subtly forward-leaning torsos，the figures achieveanelevated，suspended posture，neither fully seated nor completelycrouching.Thiscreates an interwoven temporal-spatial dimension that transcendsstatic form.

TheTwenty-EightLunar Mansions polychrome sculptures demonstratea remarkablephysics of form，and their visual language existswithin plausible dynamics yet transcends conventional logic. Fromvaried perspectives，one discovers the astonishing ingenuity oftheancientartisanswho interconnected divine body parts throughkineticforces.Laocoon andHisSons，amasterpieceof ancient Greek sculpture，draws its narrative from the Greek myth of the Trojan War.Laocoon，who warned the Trojans against taking the Wooden horse into their city，

wasslain by great sea serpents sent by the Greek patron gods. This group sculpture depicts the tragicconflictbetweenmortals and gods，giving itan eternal value that transcends time and space. Createdaround175BCEand unearthed in Romein1506，the sculpture ignites the imagination through its profound tragedy. Human responses to suffering， Whether personal or vicarious， manifestin threeprimalemotions： awe，terror，and compassion.The Yi HuoShe（WingedFireSnake） from theTwenty-EightLunarMansions polychrome sculptures shares

arttechniquesimilaritieswith the Laocoon group，yet diverges fundamentally in thematic intent. One can see heroic images of bravery，strength，and praise with Yi Huo She.One has'his mouth slightly open in pain，and the other has his mouth open bravely， holdinga snake.He activates the hair system，nervous system， skeletalsystem，and muscle system of the entirebody.This sculptural language masterfully balances symmetry and variation， stillnessand dynamism，becoming amodelof contrasting levels. In the Yi Huo She sculpture， the warrior'sarm hoists a writhing snake.Bulging veinscourse down his legs，evoking visceral blood flow.The tension of straining leg muscles causes one big toe to archupward，while the opposing toe instinctively curls downwardas musclesand bones move.The sculptors studied not onlysculptural formsbutalso thedynamiccomponentofthe human muscle motor system. Sincemost musclesare attached tobones，theyarereferred toas skeletal muscles.Because they are controlled bythe body'smotol nerves，veinsareexposed，and blood flows.ThisreflectsChina's mythological tradition of facing adversityratherthanfleeingfrom it，as seen in Yu Gong moving mountains，Yi shooting down nine suns，Jingweifillingthesea，Yuthe Great taming floods，and so on.

Ancient sculptors captured facial musculature and zygomatic structures with exquisite depictions： the sagging gauntness of elderly faces，the robust fullness of youthful visages，and the graceful roundness of feminine features-pushinganatomical verisimilitude to itsartisticzenith.

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TheArtofPersonality intheTwenty-EightLunarMansions' Polychrome Sculptures

The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions'polychrome sculptures transform clay into emotional alchemy，elevating every laugh， scowl，and roar to the level of art.What began as twenty-eight lumps of clay now pulsate with distinct divine personalities. Themost successful aspectof thishallof sculptures isthat itportraysdeitieswithdifferent personalities：the feminine graceof goddesses，masculinevigorofwarriors，benevolence ofelders，youthfulcharm ofyoungdeities，steadfastmaturity of middle-aged figures，and the endearing clumsinessandethereallivelinessof animals.Masterfulcharacterizationsinclude thenonchalantDiTu Mo，the hesitant Dou Mu Xie on the verge of speech，the sharp-hearingJiShuiBao，thecheerfuland optimistic lady Nu Tu Fu，the tranquil Bi Shui Yu as quiet as water，the leisurely and noble Shen Shui Yuan，and the furious Kang Jin Loong with flaring hair.

In the instant of Kang Jin Loong'semotional outburst，thegoddess'sfuriousexpression is captured with hair flying upward， lips pursed，eyesupturned，andbrowsraised sharply.Her large circular earrings sway dramatically as her right arm twists forcefully to the left in a dragon-taming gesture，lifting her outer robe and revealing herundergarment.Thoughsculpted from clay to mimic a fleeting moment of daily life，these exquisite sculptures delve into the profundity of human thought.The sculptors seized the brillianceof ragein lived experience，amplifying it through exaggeration to reveal the complexity of inner emotions，giving these works extraordinarydepth.Theworkscontain sorrow beneath joy， rustic simplicity within elegance，rawcandormaskedby jest，and tenderness intertwined with wrath，a masterfuldistillationoflife'sbittersweet complexities.Truly，the sculptors molded clay to capture the divine essence， thereby humanizing deities and deifying humanity.

1.TheFeminine GraceofGoddesses

TheTwenty-EightLunar Mansions sculptures embody feminine grace，exemplified by Zhen Shui Yin，whose expression blends amelancholic，mockingsmilethatdefies

categorization as pure sorrow or joy. While most sculptures convey a single emotion， Zhen Shui Yin projects complexity. When you focus on her slightly upturned lips，she appears to come alive， engaging in cheerful conversation. However，when you look into her eyes and try to communicate with her，the furrowed brows convey palpable sorrow.Here，beauty is enriched by sadness，and sadness made poignant by beauty. If Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is famed for her enigmatic smile，then Zhen Shui Yin is the Eastern Mona Lisa.The sculpture of Bi Shui Yu depicts a young goddess with a gently forward-tilted neck， her gaze lowered and lips faintly curved， revealing a reserved smile within her serene solemnity. Her straight nose，rosy lips，and graceful posture exude ethereal tranquility， and the fluttering drapery folds heighten her otherworldly grace. Despite facial damage among the goddesses，her undiminished elegance still stirs the soul. She was a deity brimming with latent vitality， radiating transcendent charm.Niu Jin Niu has an aloof expression that conveys imperial austerity， balancing a celestial empress's benevolence with firm authority.

2.The MasculineVigor of Warriors

The masculine vigor of these divine sculptures stands as the crowning artistictouch.Xin Yue Hu faces left，roaring with an open mouth， furious bulging eyes，and hair flowing rightward with the force of his turn. His bare upper body and legs reveal bulging muscles ashis left arm strikes outward and hisright hand spreads its fingers. His left leg coils while his right leg thrusts forward，a figure blending realismwith exaggeration.The value of the Liu Tu Zhang sculpture lies in its“Horse Trampling a Xiongnu Enemy\"motif，celebrating heroic feats by holding a captive. Thisapproach demonstrates moreromantic imagination than Western equestrian or standing statues，showcasing Zezhou artisans'monumental\"metonymic technique\"Itembodiesthewarrior's vigorand boundless inner strength. Zi Huo Hou，Wei Huo Hu，Shi Huo Zhu，and Yi Huo She share the same masculine warrior spirit.Whether enraged or scowling，their emotions animate their flowing scarvesand sashes，creatingavibrant sense of swirling air currents throughout the temple hall.

3. The Youthful Charm of Young DeitiesandSteadfastMaturityof Middle-Aged Figures

The confidence of Jing Mu An manifests in his gentlemanly demeanor：His body tilts slightly，onearmraisedto reveal resoluteness without rigidity， forbearance without weakness， vivacitywithout frivolity，prudence without timidity， courage without recklessness，self-assurance withoutarrogance，andcalmness withoutindecision.Fang RiTu captivates through luminous eyes，youthful fullnessof face， andastylish beard，departing fromtheabstract formalism of Han Dynasty sculpture to embrace lifelike emotionalityand naturalistic physicality.It was created bysorting，deducing，and summarizing objective structures， whichwere then combined intoa Whole body using linear contours， planarabstraction，andvolumetric harmony.Wei Yue Yanisdefined byitsunnervingly composed gaze， which embodies contemplative depthandintellectual poise.

4.TheBenevolence of Elders

The three deity sculptures of WeiTu Zhi，Bi Yue Wu，and Nü TuFu portray elderly figures. Their faces share common characteristics： sagging，withered skin hanging loosely，with long beards flowingacross their chests.Theyremarkablyresemble cheerful，simple，and optimistic oldmenfromtheruralareas of Jincheng.Wei Tu Zhi wears a windproof hood and gently strokesapheasant resting on his lap，exuding benevolence and kindness.Together，Bi YueWu，Wei Tu Zhi，and NuTu Fu form a trio of transcendentelderlysages.Their upward gaze towardthe firmamen givesoffan ethereal sense of sublimesuspension.