Chinese Tang Dynasty Art: An Overview of the Camel

The Tang Dynasty of the 7th - 10th centuries AD is known for its many illustrious advances, probably the most advanced in Chinese antiquity. ¹They delighted in achievements in the pharmaceuticals, inventions such as gun powder and a perfection of polychrome porcelain. Because of a secure government, the people of the Tang were able to devote more time to these achievements, specifically in the arts. The Camel is an excellent example of this forward movement. It is more naturalistic than previous works of art from the Chinese culture, and its significance in the culture is quite noteworthy, especially concerning the afterlife. It also helps to define the Tang Dynasty, and how the culture relates to other cultures of antiquity.

Five or six centuries before the Tang Dynasty really came to power, China was overcome with serious unrest. ²Barbarian tribes were constantly invading, and civil disorders tore apart the peoples. Most historians refer to this time as China's dark ages. In the same way that Roman rule helped to bring forth an enlightenment to Europe, stability and prosperity ensued with the development of the Tang Dynasty of China. Some of the most profound images of the Chinese culture came from this era. with the reopening of commerce through what is now known as the "Silk Road", artwork soon began to depict the importance of new economic ideals, much like the coliseums reflected Roman social ideas. The sculpture piece of the Camel located at the Birmingham Museum of Art brings attention to the importance of this animal in economic growth. ³This free-standing sculpture is a Bactrian camel (two-humped camel), which was the most widely used in commerce. Though this particular piece does not carry the load that many of his contemporaries carry, he still symbolizes the explosion of wealth that the Tang Dynasty came to be familiar with.

Images of the camel had been constructed for centuries before the Tang Dynasty. ⁴Earlier depictions were made to represent the animal somewhat naturalistically, but as the centuries went by, depictions of this beast of burden became more organic and substantial. Much like the Greeks, the Chinese had their own compositional style that changed as leadership changed. The Greeks are remembered for their invention of concrete, and the ¹Chinese are credited for a substance known as polychrome porcelain. The Camel piece was made from this substance, and it is responsible for the longevity of the bright colors of the piece, and its sheen, much different from the matte finish of its predecessors. ⁵Naturalism was more focused during this time, too. The Camel piece stands still, the only motion being of an upturned head, and opened, angry mouth. This is quite a realistic pose of an animal as obstinate as the camel, compared to the docile or human-like faces of Pre-Tang camels. This realism can be seen, too, in the ⁶Horse, also located at the Birmingham Museum of Art. ⁶Also from Mid-Tang, its organic conception depicts an animal of dignity, and its importance as a status symbol is shown in that naturalism.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the Camel is its reason for being made. ⁶In Pre-dynastic and early Dynastic Chinese culture, when the master or lord died, his family and all his possessions were killed and buried with him to serve and accompany him in the afterlife. Toward the beginning of the Tang Dynasty Buddhist missionaries moved in with the commerce. That changed many aspects of Chinese culture. Fortunately, one of the changes was replacing actual family members and animals with sculptures, such as our Camel. This corresponds with several other cultures around the world, like the Egyptians, and even as far away as the Vicus culture in Peru (around 100 BC - AD 600). Clay pieces like the Feline and Rodent Vessel from this time period in Peru were also found in tombs. ⁷The meaning behind this figurative piece of pottery is unknown, but, it too came from a time of great advancements, the Florescent Period. In contrast to the Camel, the feline vessel is quite abstract, comical in nature - tongue sticking out, and a mouse wrapped in an unnatural prehensile tail. ⁶Though little else is known about the feline vessel, like the Camel, it was thought to be important because it was buried with its owner, and historians agree that pieces like the Camel were buried with persons of extreme wealth and significance.

Like the Greeks and Romans, and even the Peruvians, the Chinese had their time of advancement that made a mark in the history of mankind. Their culture is quite similar to others in many aspects, but remain quite their own. Archaeological discoveries such as those mentioned previously provide a glimpse into the lives of these people of antiquity. What does a dead man and a camel have in common? The answer is the mark of mankind. Without pieces like the Camel and the men who commissioned their making, we would know little of their worth. From them we see how the people were connected, and how they grew, and declined. Globally we can understand similarities of cultures, and their distinctions.

¹ Eichenbaum, Patricia, Arts of the Tang Court, New York, 1996
²Juliano, Annette L., Arts of the Six Dynasties, New York, 1975
³ Watson, William, Tang and Liao Ceramics, Switzerland, 1984
⁴ Bachlofer, Ludwig, A Short History of Chinese Art, New York, 1946
⁵ Karetzky, Patricia Eichenbaum, Court Art of the Tang, Maryland, 1996
⁶ Wood, Donald A., Asian Art in the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, 2000
⁷ Manuel, Jordan and Villadsen Mary, Crosscurrents of Culture, Alabama, 1997