A major international loan exhibition featuring more than 160 ancient Chinese works of art—including renowned terracotta army warriors—goes on view at The Met this April. Synthesizing new in-depth research and archaeological discoveries of the last 50 years, the landmark exhibition ‘Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 B.C.– A.D. 220)’ will explore the unprecedented role of art in creating a new and lasting Chinese cultural identity. The works in the exhibition—extremely rare ceramics, metalwork, textiles, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, and architectural models—are drawn exclusively from 32 museums and archaeological institutions in the People’s Republic of China, and a majority of the works have never before been seen in the West. Find out more about the ‘Age of Empires’ exhibition from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website.
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Bronze gilded coffin handle from the western Han dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD), excavated in 1968. Photo: Courtesy Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang
Kneeling Archer from the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), excavated in 1977. Photo: Courtesy Qin Shihuangdi Mausoleum Site Museum Lintong
Burial Suit of Dou Wan from the western Han dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD), excavated in 1968. Photo: Courtesy Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang
A modern replica of a Qin dynasty chariot. Photo: Courtesy Qin Shihuangdi Mausoleum Site Museum, Lintong
Unarmored General from the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), excavated in 1978. Photo: Courtesy Qin Shihuangdi Mausoleum Site Museum Lintong
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