汉代浮雕
Relief of Han Dynasty
我国石雕发迹于旧石器时代，当时远古人利用一些简单的方法，制作出一些石斧、石刀等，这些在一定意义上来讲可以当作石雕的鼻祖。后来随着人类文明的发展，随着人类自身劳动能力的提高和科技水平的发展，石雕艺术终于在秦汉时期获得了长足的发展。
Stone carving in China originated in the Paleolithic age. At that time, ancient people used some simple methods to make some stone axes, stone knives, etc., which can be regarded as the originator of stone carving in a certain sense. Later, with the development of human civilization, with the improvement of human labor ability and the development of science and technology, stone carving art finally achieved considerable development in the Qin and Han Dynasties.
秦汉时期
Qin and Han Dynasties
秦汉时期，石雕一般为大型的墓前石雕。这些墓前石雕造型生动、刀法简练，但是石雕作品气魄雄浑，极具动态感。这些石雕一方面具有极高的美学价值和社会学价值，另一方面也体现了墓主人的权势和地位。当时社会流行厚葬之风，所以一些贵族和豪强也极力追求奢华的墓葬建筑及装饰，并且他们也具备充足的财力、物力条件，于是出现了大量有画像石的祠堂碑阙和墓室。这些石雕作品的雕刻手法大体可分为阴线刻、浅浮雕、平面雕和透雕等几种手法。在题材内容上也丰富多彩，包括了历史人物、神话故事、孝义事迹、烈女故事、现实生活、祥禽瑞兽、羽化登仙等。
In the Qin and Han Dynasties, stone carvings were generally large-scale ones in front of tombs. The stone carvings in front of the tombs are vivid and concise in shape, but they are vigorous and dynamic. On the one hand, these stone carvings have high aesthetic and sociological values, on the other hand, they also reflect the power and status of the tomb owner. At that time, the trend of thick burials was popular in the society, so some nobles and powerful people also tried their best to pursue luxurious tomb buildings and decorations, and they also had sufficient financial and material resources. As a result, a large number of ancestral halls and tombs with portrait stones appeared. The carving techniques of these stone carvings can be roughly divided into Yin line carving, shallow relief, plane carving and openwork carving. There are also rich and colorful themes, including historical figures, fairy tales, deeds of filial piety, stories of martyrs, real life, auspicious birds and beasts, emergence of immortals and so on.