Sui Dynasty Chinese Art - 581-618 AD

Sui Dynasty clay camel, ca. 600-650 AD

In the Three Kingdoms period, Chinese artists had learned a lot about Indian and West Asian sculptural styles. Now in the Sui Dynasty, artists transformed what they had learned and mixed it with Chinese styles to create a new, unified, uniquely Chinese style in sculpture. And they used the same style all over China, as if to emphasize that all of China was again under one Emperor.

Sui Dynasty scene from one
of the earlier incarnations of the Buddha
(both Musee Guimet, Paris)

In painting, too, artists developed a more unified system of painting during the Sui Dynasty. They were especially interested in how to show that one thing was nearer than another, or farther away but larger.

Sui Dynasty cup (Musee Guimet, Paris)

This was also a time of developing pottery styles. In the Sui Dynasty, for the first time, we see recognizable beginnings of the great Chinese porcelain industry of the future (that's why we call it "china"!).

To find out more about Sui Dynasty art, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:

The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, by Jessica Rawson and others (1996). Rawson is a curator at the British Museum, and she uses the collection of the British Museum to illustrate this book. Library Journal calls it "easily the best introductory overview of Chinese art to appear in years".

Art in China (Oxford History of Art Series), by Craig Clunas (1997). Not specifically for kids, but a good introduction to the spirit of Chinese art. Warning: this one is not arranged in chronological order. Instead, it has chapters on sculpture, calligraphy, and so on.

T'ang Dynasty art
More on China in the Sui Dynasty
Main China page
Main Art page

Educating children is a tough job – let Kidipede make education easier with free online homework help. Homeschooling? Kidipede will also fit right into your homeschool material. And Kidipede’s great for unschoolers, who can surf independently. With Kidipede’s homework or homeschool material, education can be fun instead of a chore!

Teachers - check out our social studies lesson plans for middle school ancient history! Kidipede covers Egyptian Art, the Middle Ages, Ancient Rome, Native Americans and much more. Instant museum in your classroom.

Parents and grandparents – find the perfect gift for your middle school kid in Kidipede’s store! Kidipede has history books and other educational gifts for kids, from Halloween costumes to CD’s and DVD’s to art supplies. Now that’s good parenting! Pay securely through Amazon.

Teens – Kidipede has the best homework help around. Find out about ancient Greek music, medieval clothing fashions, and Native American technology trends. What was trendy clothing in ancient China? Who were the most popular girls in ancient Rome? How did teens decorate their rooms in ancient India?