Terra Cotta Sculptures Trivia Quiz

This is one of the soldiers from the Terra Cotta Army, the impressive array of troops and military equipment buried as a guard to the body of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, around 200 BCE. They were discovered in 1974, near the city of Xi'an in the province of Shaanxi. Excavations of the site are still continuing - it is virtually an underground city with thousands of soldiers, horses and weapons, all individualised rather than being mass produced, located close together at some distance more figures have been discovered, representative of the various types of people one would find in a city, with the tools of their trades.

The figures are thought to have been originally painted to produce a realistic semblance of a person, and some traces of the pigments remain, but mostly now they show the underlying terra cotta structure. This specimen is thought to represent a fairly high-ranking soldier, as it seems that those of higher rank are larger than more lowly troops.

The Etruscan civilisation flourished in Etruria, a region located in what is now the country of Italy, from about 900 BCE until they were assimilated by the Romans (a process that took several centuries, officially finishing in 27 BCE). Since the Etruscan and Roman civilisations overlapped in both time and space, it can be difficult to identify the cultural origin of a particular piece, but this cinerary urn has been identified as Etruscan, dating from the second century BCE.

The Etruscans created elaborate sarcophagi for the bodies of those who were inhumed, and urns for those who had been cremated. Both of these featured a terra cotta sculpture of a reclining figure, sometimes with a partner, on the lid. The front panel often showed scenes of fighting, and their style reflected a Greek influence on the artists.

This terra cotta figure represents to monkey god Hanuman, one of Rama's companions who pays a significant role in the 'Ramayana'. Different legends offer varying explanations of his parentage and childhood, and even the events of the 'Ramayana' differ in different versions of that epic following the exploits of Rama as he makes his way to being king.

Although Hanuman was mischievous as a child, as an adult he is described as self-controlled, ugly on the outside but beautiful on the inside, extraordinarily strong, capable of shape-shifting, innovative in the face of a challenge, loyal to the end - in short, the perfect companion and devotee for Rama. In this image he is shown carrying a gada, a round-headed mace which he uses as a weapon. Although he is most often shown in a position of obedience to Rama and/or Sita, when he is on his own he usually carries a weapon such as this mace or a lightning bolt.

This piece is an example of the Greek sculptures known as Tanagra figurines, after the place where many have been excavated. They were, however, widely produced, starting in the fourth century BCE. They are molded figures, usually between 10 and 20 cm (4-8 inches) high, produced in bulk and exported around the known world. The sculptors of the original models used to create the molds employed lots of drapery effects, allowing the production of pleasing folds and a sense of movement in the body they cloak. When they were discovered in the middle of the 19th century, they became all the rage across Europe, leading to the desecration of graves in order to dig up more, and the emergence of a fake figurine industry.

These figures are thought to have been primarily decorative in purpose, although they are found in tombs. That is thought to be more as an inclusion of personal effects than as a part of any religious rite.

This figure of Isis mourning the death of Osiris dates from the Eighteenth Dynasty, roughly 1550-1300 BCE. The story of Isis started about a thousand years earlier, when the Osiris myth in which she played a part originated. (Very much abbreviated story follows.) Osiris was killed by his brother Set, who took over on the throne.

His sister-and-wife Isis brought him back to life, at least long enough so she could become pregnant with their son Horus, who would eventually defeat Set and regain the throne that was rightfully his. Isis therefore became associated with helping the dead pass on to their next life, and with being a healer due to her success in protecting and raising her son.

This figurine of the Aztec god Xipe Totec, dating from sometime in the period between 250 and 550 CE, was excavated in southern Veracruz. The name Xipe Totec translates into English as 'Our Lord the Flayed One', and representations usually indicate that his skin has been removed, either partially or entirely, in some way. In this image you can see the loose skin around his wrists.

He is said to have flayed himself to provide food for humans, in the process becoming a symbol for the life cycle of birth-death-rebirth. He is both a god of warfare (where the death part is a clear connection) and a god of agriculture (where the cyclic pattern is the link). The festival in his honour started with the sacrifice of selected war prisoners, whose skins were then worn by celebrants for the next few weeks of the festival.

This is a haniwa horse, a terra cotta figurine, from the Kofun period (third to sixth centuries CE). Haniwa were funerary objects, meaning they were designed to be part of a funeral rite. The name means clay circle, which may refer to the technique in which the early haniwa were formed (by stacking coils of clay to form the figure) or to the way that they were later arrayed in a circle, possibly delimiting the gravesite.

The earliest were basically barrels, but later figures were added on top, and eventually the original cylinder virtually disappeared. Figures included not only warriors, but also women, horses and houses.

Some examples can be seen in the background of the photo.

This bust of the Virgin Mary was sculpted near the end of the fourteenth century, by a sculptor in Bohemia, a region that roughly corresponds to the country now known as Czechia. This is actually the top portion of what was originally a larger figure. To ensure even drying of a large terra cotta sculpture, it was cut into smaller pieces with horizontal cuts. After the pieces were fired, they are 'glued' together, with the painted exterior concealing the join. Since this is the only piece we have, it is unclear whether the full figure was seated or standing, and whether or not she was portrayed holding the infant Jesus, which is suggested by the way she is looking down.

This piece is in a style known as International Gothic, which was popular at the time. The style was characterised by the use of simple elegance instead of the earlier tendency to monumentalism, flowing lines and bright colours.

This bust of Giuliano de' Medici was sculpted between 1475 and 1478 by the Italian artist Andrea del Verrocchio, the master of an important workshop in Florence. His pupils included many who would later be known as outstanding painters, including Leonardo da Vinci.

Verrocchio himself is best known as a sculptor, and his final work, an equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice, is his best known piece. He enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family, especially Lorenzo and his son Piero. Giuliano, Lorenzo's brother, was co-ruler of Florence before his assassination in 1478, which led to war between Florence and the Holy See (because the pope had supported the group who were attempting to take control from the Medicis).

This terra cotta plaque with a relief carving showing an animal designated as a sable climbing on a tree branch can be seen at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, home of President Theodore Roosevelt. He lived there from 1885 until his death in 1916, and both the original home and the Theodore Roosevelt Museum constructed on its grounds are popular tourist sites, allowing visitors to see many of the items that he inherited from his family and collected for himself.

Edward Kemeys, who produced the plaque, was well known as a sculptor of animals, especially the wild animals of North America. His most famous work is probably the two bronze lions that stand at the entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago Building.