Suzhou Six Arts Museum
Hand-carved wooden statue is one of the oldest Chinese traditional craftsmanship. Each and every one of the statues is hand-carved by the best artisans of the day. It’s very rare to see such beautiful and ornate wooden statues nowadays. There are more than 90 different wooden statues displayed in Six Arts Museum, which is a very precious collection.
Suzhou Six Arts Museum
Carving has a long history in China, it can be dated back to the Spring and Autumn Period, and it has becoming mature in the Qin and Han dynasties. With the introduction of Buddhism and the influence of Taoism, woodcarving art is closely related to religions. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the excavation of large-scale grottoes went down, and the craftsmanship of folk art was rising.
Suzhou Six Arts Museum
Wooden statues are simply divided into three categories, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk religion. Buddhism includes Sakyamuni, Maitreya, Guanyin Bodhisattva; Taoism includes Fortune, Sanguan, Wenchang, Fulushou, Mawang, King of the medicine etc; Folk religion includes government officials, ancestors, door gods etc. People worship the gods with the hope of having a happy life.
Suzhou Six Arts Museum
Now, by seeing these statues can still bring us the feeling of seeing people in the past praying in front of the gods.
Suzhou Six Arts Museum
