Han Dynasty Tile Calligraphy

Author: Zhuang Xingxing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: In traditional Chinese architecture, there is a type of tile specifically used on the eaves, with a longer body part shaped like a semicylinder and the lower part at the top in the form of a semicircle or circular plate, known as a cover tile. The lower part of the top of this tile is what people refer to as a eave tile. Eave tiles play a unique role in traditional architecture. Firstly, they protect the rafters from rain, extending their lifespan. Secondly, they decorate the buildings, adding beauty and enhancing aesthetic appeal, possessing both practical and artistic value.
Chinese eave tiles originated in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. The decoration of patterns on the face of the eave tile began in the late Western Zhou Dynasty. The patterns of eave tiles during the Western Zhou period were mostly simple and unadorned, featuring string patterns and concentric ring patterns, incised. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the patterns on eave tiles evolved rapidly, with animal, plant, and geometric motifs appearing. Portrait patterns became increasingly lifelike, and inscriptions rapidly became popular, dominating in quantity.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the decorative patterns on eave tiles gradually declined, and inscriptions also became less common.