Page 493 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

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A group of five painted pottery hunting figures Four of the figures (the three men and one of the
women) in this group carry animals that would have
Height 33 (13) -35.5 (14)
been used in the hunt. In front of his saddle, one of
Tang Dynasty, early eighth century CE
the men cradles a small, wiry dog, ideal for pursuing
From the tomb of Yu Yin and Princess Jinxiang,
Xi'an, Shaanxi Province smaller game in the open lands west of Xi'an. The
second man holds a falcon on his arm, reflecting
Xi'an Municipal Institute of Archaeology a common practice of the Tang aristocracy, which
and Preservation of Cultural Relics, used these raptors to capture small animals and
Shaanxi Province birds. A collared, spotted cat (probably a cheetah)
sits on a thick, presumably protective pad on the
Washington only rump of the third male hunter's horse. Such felines
(not native to China) were trained as hunting ani-
A fascination with capturing or exaggerating detail mals in parts of western Asia and must have been
is characteristic of Tang funerary sculpture. De- imported along with their foreign handlers.
pictions of foreigners in particular often verge on Hunting was a sport of both men and women.
caricature, an approach clearly reflected in the The two women portrayed in this set of figures are
three foreign men in this group of hunters dressed obviously active participants in the hunt: one car-
1
in exotic costumes and head gear ; their large ries the body of a captured deer on her horse, while
noses, bulging eyes, heavy beards, and brutish mus- an alert lynx (like the cheetah, used as a hunting
culature suggests that the Chinese found these animal) accompanies the other female hunter. Their
people somewhat inferior. The unmistakably Chi- hair arranged in tight, practical buns, both women
nese women who complete the hunting group, are dressed for the occasion in close-fitting tunics
on the other hand, have regular features, and their and trousers and thickly padded belts. Their par-
hunting dress suggests a more sober style. ticipation in the hunt and their clearly foreign
Hunting and the hunting styles of foreign peo- associates are an indication of the level of physical
ples (including their use of exotic animals) were of activity and relative freedom permitted to women
particular interest to the leisured Tang aristocracy. during the Tang dynasty.

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