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Chinese Art :
Tang Dynasty : Tang Terracotta Sculpture of a Kneeling Camel
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Tang Terracotta Sculpture of a Kneeling Camel - X.0411
Origin: China
Circa: 618
AD
to 906
AD
Dimensions:
12.25" (31.1cm) high
x 14.5" (36.8cm) wide
Collection: Chinese Art
Medium: Terracotta
Additional Information: k, TL Lab Test
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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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.
For the Chinese, camels symbolized
commerce
and its associated wealth, largely
concentrated
on profits through trading on the Silk
Road.
Trade across this extensive network of
paths
and
trails brought prosperity, foreign
merchants,
and
exotic merchandize into China. However,
the
dusty trails of the Silk Road were an
arduous
journey through the rugged mountains and
harsh deserts of Central Asia that could
only
be
traversed by the two humped Bactrian
camel.
This remarkable beast was able to
withstand
the
scorching heat of the desert and
maintain its
own nutrients, surviving for months
without
fresh supplies of water. The government
kept
vast herds of these invaluable
creatures,
presided
over by civil officials, for hauling
their
precious
commodities across the Silk Road. These
exotic
creatures were a common sight in the
cosmopolitan cities of T’ang China,
carrying
both
traders and their goods directly into
the
markets.
Likewise, T’ang artist began to create
charming
representations of these prized
creatures as
mingqi in order to symbolize wealth and
prosperity in the afterlife.
Mingqi were works of art specifically
created
in
an ancient Chinese custom for interment
in
the
tombs of elite individuals in order to
provide
for
their afterlife. Some of the most
beautiful
works
of Chinese art were excavated from such
tombs,
and this sculpture of a camel and an
accompanying groom is a perfect example
of the
refined artistry dedicated to such works
despite
the fact that they were never meant to
be
seen
by the living. Thick tufts of furry hair
cover
the
camel along his head, neck, humps and
knees. A
saddle bulging with exotic goods and
merchandize, including an easily
discernable
rolled blanket, has been placed between
the
two
humps. The facial features of this
creature
have
been rendered with extreme attention to
detail,
including the beady eyes. The camel is
in
the
process of kneeling down (or perhaps
standing
up) in order to unload the merchandize
carried
on his back. This sculpture reveals the
T’ang
Dynasty’s respect and admiration for
this
beast
of burden, so essential to the
prosperity of
ancient China.
- (X.0411)
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