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The T’ang Dynasty was an era of unrivalled
wealth and luxury. The country was successfully
reunified and the borders were expanded,
pushing Chinese influence into new lands.
Confucianism became a semi-religious
instrument of the state; yet Buddhism continued
to flourish, spreading into Korea and Japan. The
arts reached new levels of sophistication. Poetry
and literature flourished under the enlightened
rulers. The Silk Road brought fortunes into China.
Precious treasures were imported on the backs of
camels from far away lands and bartered for
Chinese silk, medicinal herbs, and pungent
spices. T’ang China was a multicultural empire
where foreign merchants from across Central
Asia and the Middle East settled in the urban
centers, foremost among them the thriving
capital of Chang’an (modern X’ian), a bustling
cosmopolitan center of over two million
inhabitants. Foreign traders lived next to native
artisans and both thrived. New ideas and exotic
artistic forms followed alongside. The T’ang
Dynasty was a cultural renaissance where many
of the forms and objects we now associate with
China were first created. Moreover, this period
represents one of the greatest cultural
outpourings in human history.
As new philosophical and religious strands
penetrated the thought system of early China,
the subject matter of tomb objects and tomb
patterns changed. The past practice of
entombing elite members of society with
earthenware objects continued throughout the
early and middle Tang period, but the earlier
emphasis placed on recreating daily life shifted to
flaunting status and excess. Tombs were no
longer "underground houses," but became a
landscape with murals depicting the palaces,
gardens, and open countryside in which the
nobles passed their lives. During the Tang
Dynasty, restrictions were placed on the number
of objects that could be included in tombs, an
amount determined by an individual's social
rank. In spite of the limitations, a striking variety
of tomb furnishings have been excavated. Entire
retinues of ceramic figures - animals,
entertainers, musicians, guardians - were buried
with the dead.
Originating during the Six Dynasties period
(222-589 A.D.), this type of figure is known as a
tomb guardian, for originally, a pair of such
figures always stood guard at the tombs of
Chinese rulers. Traditionally, both figures in the
pair are mythological composite creatures, one
always an amalgamation various animals while
the other combined of human and animal traits.
These guardians were interred in order to ward
off potential tomb robbers or evil spirits that
might try to infiltrate the tomb. This
mythological beast combines the body and face
of a feline with the legs and hooves of a horse. A
pointed central antler emerges from in between
his upright ears. His snarling face, complete with
fangs, has been expertly rendered, conveying a
determined expression that is fierce and
intimidating. While just half of a pair, this
guardian stands alone, revealing the exotic
beauty of these fantastical creatures.
- (NP.015)
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