I happened along these photos of Han dynasty (206 BC -- 220 AD) archers. http://chinesearchery.cc/thread-9458-1-1.html I wanted to get your comments on what you thought of their authenticity, where the block prints came from, and the types of technique the archers were using. When you look at these as well as the cave paintings in Serindia's previous thread, http://atarn.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1514 , there seem to be a great variety of draw lengths and techniques being used at the time (short, long, and in between).
The origin of these prints is rubbings of stone or baked clay decorative panels inside graves. They range from Western to Eastern Han. Some come from Sichuan but most from Shandong.
Some are images of battle scenes, often found in graves of military officials. A second category may show immortals enjoying themselves in the afterlife. A third category is moral tales. I suspect that the image of man shooting a monkey in a tree is Western Han and comes from a story in the Chu tradition of King Zhuang shooting at an ape in a tree. The ape is said to have cried out in concern for its partner, symbolizing brotherly love (or wifely affection.)
Actually, the more I look at pic [3], the more I believe the rider is wielding a crossbow.
Uli
[4] http://chinesearchery.cc/data/attachmen ... xattev.jpg (Another mounted archer, this time drawing to the cheek. The style of this print is different from the others, so I'm sure of its origin or authenticity.)
:? this one looks interesting: note the clear asymmetry of the limbs (hun style ?) and bow mechanics depicted (long draw and extreme limb bend)
jkekoni
No real bow had brace beyond the elbow. Ok it is more like cartoon than picture.
BTW the same mistake is made by many modern artists drawing pictures to fantasy literature and games.
But yes it does describe asymmetricity and long draw.
Justin Ma
jkekoni wrote:
No real bow had brace beyond the elbow. Ok it is more like cartoon than picture.
BTW the same mistake is made by many modern artists drawing pictures to fantasy literature and games.
But yes it does describe asymmetricity and long draw.
Oops, I just realized a typo in my description of [4]... I meant to say I'm _not_ sure of that piece's authenticity rather than being sure of it. The lines in [4] are a little too clean, so it makes me think twice.
Stephen Selby
Justin Ma wrote:
Oops, I just realized a typo in my description of [4]... I meant to say I'm _not_ sure of that piece's authenticity rather than being sure of it. The lines in [4] are a little too clean, so it makes me think twice.
