Reveal Chinese art origins in carvings

Researchers recently found the statue of a small bird, about 1.5cm long , sculpted on a burnt bone, dating back about 13,500 years ago.

This is considered to be the oldest sculpture in East Asia , and it reveals the origin of unique Chinese 3D sculpture, different from prehistoric sculpture in many places. In the world.

Bird statues from many angles. (Source: newscientist).

On June 10, the researchers said the sculpture was found at a site called Lingjin g in Hunan Province, depicting a bird standing on a pedestal.

The researchers said the statue was sculpted from the bones of mammals. The statue is crafted using stone tools, using four methods of sculpture, abrasion, cutting, scraping and slitting.

This is the oldest known 3D artwork of China and throughout East Asia, the product of the hunter-gatherer ice age.

So far, the earliest known human 3D sculptures are made of mammoth ivory, dating back 40,000 years in southern Germany.

Francesco D'Errico, an archaeologist at the French National Center for Scientific Research, said he used the microscope to observe the statue and was impressed by the sophisticated 3D resolution that has done on this statue.

According to him, this discovery shows that the statue is the product of a master craftsman possessing ultra-small manufacturing techniques.

Mr. Francesco D'Errico said that the sculptor of this statue knows about the balance when sculpting the tail of the bird is too big compared to the body of the bird to make sure the bird does not fall forward.

According to D'Errico, the sculpture has a different size, crafting technique and style than those of the same or older period from Europe and Siberia, indicating that the work belongs to a certain type. special traditional Chinese art form.