The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army

February 11 to June 26, 2011

ADMISSION FEES     · Age 26 to 64 ............ $20      · Age 65 and more ...... $16      · Age 13 to 25 ............ $12      · Age 0 to 12 .............. Free     · Museum VIP's ............... Free       GROUP:     · Age 26 to 64 .......... $16      · Age 65 and more .... $12      · Age 13 to 25 .......... $10      · Age 0 to 12 ............ $2

$  Admission Fee
Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion, Level 3

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. 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's 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.

Exhibition Layout
The succeeding dynasties, periods of political and social
transition marked variably by war or peace and profound
societal changes – the magnificent history of ancient China
will unfold before visitors through a chronological
presentation divided into three sections.

 · The Rise of Qin (9th c. – 221 BC)

 · The Terracotta Army of the “First Emperor of China”
    (221 – 206 BC)

 · The Harmonious Era of the Han
    (206 av. J.-C. – 220 apr. J.-C.)

 

 

1. Unarmoured high-ranking officer, Earthenware, Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC, Excavated in 1980 at Terracotta Army
     Pit No. 1, Lintong, Shaanxi province, Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum, 002743

2. Duke of Qin’s bo bell, Bronze, Spring and Autumn period, 771-481 BC, Excavated in 1978 at Taigongmiao Baoji,
     Shaanxi province, Baoji Bronze Museum, IA5.4

3. Standing attendant, Earthenware, Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 220, Excavated in 1997 at Yangling,
     Xianyang, Shaanxi province, Hanyangling Museum, YG0937

4. Pei pendant, Jade, Spring and Autumn period, 771-481 BC, Excavated in 1986 at Duke of Qin Tomb M1,
     Fengxiang County, Shaanxi province, Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology, 000924

5. Pendant set, Jade with agate beads, Spring and Autumn period, 771-481 BC, Excavated in 1986
     at Bianjiazhuang, Longxian County, Shaanxi province, Longxian County Museum

6. Cavalry horse, Earthenware, Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC, Excavated in 1977 at Terracotta Army Pit No. 2,
     Lintong, Shaanxi province, Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum, 003160