History 2701 Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Brief Identification[]

This earthenware camel, found in a Tang Dynasty tomb in Northern China, would have been buried with the deceased as a symbol of their wealth and power in the afterlife. Created during the Tang Dynasty around 700-800 CE, the camel is plain in comparison to many other similar earthenware camels found from the Tang dynasty, this camel would have been a possession in the afterlife for the deceased. While luxurious for a common person, this object would not have been of huge value.

12

To the right is the earthenware camel, found in Northern China and made during the Tang Dynasty. It is now housed in the Oxford University Museum of Art and Archaeology. 1

Technical Evaluation[]

Despite the finding of camels such as this one as early as the Wei Dynasty (386-534 CE) (2), this camel is relatively undecorated, save for a few brush strokes of a brownish-red on the humps of the camel’s back. The earthenware figure is stood in a regular position for a camel, with the head being thrown back and open being the only point of difference. As this figurine is meant to solely be for use in burial, it serves no purpose other than its symbolic and decorative value.

The process making of an earthenware figurine akin to this had long been known in China, as mentioned in the paragraph above, and so this particular camel is not anything particularly special on its own. The preferred method in this period would have been the molding method, where several molds would be pressed together in the desired shape. The particular glaze normal for this period was called sancai, a popular polychrome glaze that peaked in the late 7th and mid 8th centuries CE, just before the creation of this piece. (Khan) However, due to the lack of coloration present, it is more likely a more basic glaze was used, further cementing that this was no luxury piece. 3

Local Historical Context[]

Camels like this, particularly this particular kind of camel (Bactrian), were not uncommon to find in Tang dynasty tombs around this period. The Tang Dynasty saw a period of unparalleled growth in China, even being considered a golden age by some. Under the rule of the Tang, trade in China flourished, especially with respect to China’s neighbors to the West, and well, further West. While growing trade with places like India continued to rise, more established routes on the Silk Road began to run even further West, into Persia and even to the Mediterranean. (4) This camel serves as a symbolic piece of this time, as camels are non-native to China, but would have been common along the Silk Road, and in some regions with an abundance of deserts. (5)

Due to the aforementioned lack of sancai, the particular polychrome glaze used in many other figurines from the same period, the tomb this figurine was buried likely came from a man that was wealthy, but not extremely so. This showing of economic stratification, the creation of a gentry as part of the Tang’s economic expansion, shows the rapid development of the period. In addition, the known cosmopolitan nature of the Tang dynasty, especially as late into the dynasty as this piece shows up, lends itself to economic and social stratification. (Tackett, 113)

Also significant about this piece is the time period it represents. Falling between 700 and 800 CE, this figurine comes at the middle/later end of the Tang Dynasty, closer to its collapse, and the Buddhist persecution from 843-45 CE. This piece represents a cosmopolitan China, and for one of the few times in the world, an existence of peaceful trading, on camelback or ship. (6)

The makers of this piece would have been amongst the lower classes, not at the bottom, but nowhere near the top. Artisans like these, especially those that specialized in burial objects, would be respected but not revered by society, adding their part into the socioeconomic stratification of Tang China. (Tackett, 112-13)

World Historical Significance[]

Much alike the local context, the world significance of this piece lies almost entirely in its value symbolically for trade. The camel can be used as one great motif for this particular time in history; as trade flourished, the camel went with it, transporting goods from place to place. The other major states from around this time period were the Umayyad Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire, and the lack of stability fostered this growth. 

Further, the advancement of the camel from its Middle Eastern home to the far East means that the exchange of goods and ideas has reached a new threshold. Cultures are beginning to swap even creatures, and Tang China lay at the heart of it. (7)

Bibliography[]

Books/ Articles in Journals

Banwo, Adetoro. (2014). Decline and Overview of the Tang Dynasty. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). 3. 477-479. 

Colburn Clydesdale, Heather. “The Vibrant Role of Mingqi in Early Chinese Burials.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mgqi/hd_mgqi.htm (April 2009)

Olsen, S. J. “The Camel in Ancient China and the Osteology of the Camel.” Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 28 July 1988, pp. 19–58.

TACKETT, NICOLAS. “Great Clansmen, Bureaucrats, and Local Magnates: The Structure and Circulation of the Elite in Late-Tang China.” Asia Major, vol. 21, no. 2, 2008, pp. 101–152. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41649957.

Van Valen, Lucien & Garachon, Isabelle. (2014). The Matter of Tang Tomb Figures; A New Perspective on a Group of Terracotta Animals and Riders. The Rijksmuseum Bulletin. Volume 62. 218-239. 

Websites

Art, Philadelphia Museum of. “Tomb Figure of a Bactrian Camel.” Learning From Asian Art: China, https://www.philamuseum.org/booklets/3_18_29_0.html.

“Camel.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/tang-dynasty/a/camel.

“Camel, Approx. 690–750.” Education, 27 Jan. 2014, https://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/artwork/camel-approx-690–750.

“Colored Pottery Camel Unearthed from Tang Dynasty Tomb.” China Daily, 5 Dec. 2014, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2014-12/05/content_19031683.htm.

“Figure.” British Museum, https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=259385&partId=1.

National Gallery of Australia. The TT Tsui Collection of Chinese Ceramics, https://nga.gov.au/tttsui/tang.cfm.

“Tang Dynasty - The Golden Age.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, https://www.ushistory.org/civ/9d.asp.

“Tang Dynasty Economy.” Banner.png, http://thetangdynasty.org/tang-dynasty-economy.html.

“Tang Dynasty: Chinese Ceramics.” China Online Museum, https://www.comuseum.com/ceramics/tang/.

Advertisement