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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.
During the T’ang Dynasty, horses were revered,
considered relatives of the mythical dragon. This
veneration was well earned, for the speed and
stamina of these majestic animals ensured the
protection of the northern borders against
barbarian invaders as well as enhancing
communication capabilities between far away
provinces, thereby aiding in the expansion of the
empire. The need to import horses from Central
Asia influenced the creation of the Silk Road.
Thus, they were also prized for their rarity.
Naturally then, horses became a status symbol
for the aristocratic elite. Polo and other
equestrian pastimes became popular. This
sculpture, depicting a lady-in-waiting riding on
the back of a horse, reveals this connection
between nobility and the horse. Perhaps the
most remarkable feature of this work is the
removable saddle and rider that detach from the
body of the horse in one piece. A striking
amount of the original polychrome still remains
intact, clearly visible in the lady’s red dress and
lips. We can imagine this lady prancing around
on this horse, perhaps taking part in an
important ceremony. She wears a long-sleeved
dress, a type of which was used in a popular
dance where the lady swirls the excess fabric
around in the air. Discovered buried inside a
tomb, this work was supposed to accompany the
deceased throughout the afterlife. The striking
beauty of this work is even more impressive,
considering that it was created specifically for
interment and was not supposed to be seen by
the living. Today, we marvel in the beauty of this
sculpture as much as its tremendous history and
intriguing legacy.
- (H.1016)
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