The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army Set to Conquer Montreal in February 2011
Montreal, Canada.– From February 11 to June 26, 2011, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will present The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army, a major exhibition of archaeological works that will take visitors on a faraway journey covering 1,000 years of Chinese history.
The fortuitous discovery, in 1974, of artifacts from the Emperor Ying Zheng’s tomb complex, the most important in China and one of the largest in the world, revealed priceless treasures. It was the last great archaeological discovery of the twentieth century after King Tut’s tomb. The site was placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1987. Thanks to the exceptional co-operation of the province of Shaanxi and loans from sixteen of that region’s most important archaeological research institutes and museums, 240 remarkable works, including many that have only recently been excavated, will be presented.
- Terracotta Warrior (Archer)
A number of these works are being shown in North America for the first time on this Canadian tour or have never previously travelled outside China. In addition to outlining the life of Emperor Ying Zheng (259-210 BC), both on earth and in the afterlife, the exhibition will shed light on the creation of a new cultural and geopolitical cohesion that would have a profound effect on China for centuries to come. This exhibition represents a rare opportunity to admire a group of archaeological objects of a stunning diversity that will not leave China again for a very long time.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is delighted to be associated with this major archaeological exhibition, which will enable people across Canada to see the outstanding artifacts lent by China. Reflecting our overall vision for the Museum, the presentation of this exhibition, along with the appointment of our first Curator of Asian Art, Laura Vigo, and the coming reinstallation of our collections, confirms our intention to give greater visibility to ancient cultures,” said Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
THE WARRIOR EMPEROR AND CHINA’ TERRACOTTA ARMY: PRICELESS OBJECTS
Dating from 2,200 years ago, ten larger-than-life terracotta sculptures will be the star attraction of this exhibition. Two high-ranking officers, four soldiers, a civic official, an acrobat and even two horses are among the works found in various pits excavated since then containing 2,000 statues, every one of them unique, of warriors and horses. Rare bronze sculptures, including a goose, unearthed in 2005 from what is considered the site of the sovereign’s water garden, other never-before-exhibited relics, and many funerary figurines, ornaments in jade and gold, swords, coins and adornments, architectural elements and military accoutrements from the imperial tombs of the Emperors Gaozu and Jing of the Han Dynasty will trace the history of close to ten centuries of funeral rites.
Investigation of the site, situated in the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi, near the colossal mausoleum
the largest in the world – of Qin Shihuangdi (Emperor Ying Zheng), will continue for many years, as it makes up only a tiny part of that country’s biggest burial complex.
The first archaeological-site museum in China, as well as the biggest to date, has been built over the Emperor Qin’s mausoleum. Excavations continue, with archaeologists now using new conservation techniques to preserve the fragile colours on the painted warriors. It is estimated that nearly 8,000 of these terracotta statues exist, and many remain to be dug up. Arranged in astounding military formation, they are often called the “eighth wonder of the world,” and many remain to be unearthed.
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