Page 116 - Bonhams Olivier Collection Early Chinese Art November 2018

LIFE IN THE
TANG DYNASTY AFTERLIFE

Superbly modelled with an arched neck and mouth open wide bodies . Undoubtedly, the impressive array of 8,000 greater
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as it brays, the Ollivier camel is an exceptional example of sancai than life-size figures of terracotta warriors, each individually
sculptures created during the Tang dynasty. The extraordinary styled and all positioned in large pits surrounding the burial
sense of realism, conveyed by the forward moving posture of chamber, must have been deemed a fundamental element for
the creature, enhanced by the strong and slender legs, highly the emperor’s afterlife and probably reflected his fear of being
detailed with tendons and naturalistic tufts of dark fur, and the haunted by the evil spirits of the people that he had killed and
tall humps, gently swaying to either side of the body, shows a conquered through his bloody campaigns.
remarkable degree of observation on the sculptor’s part which
is rarely otherwise encountered on figures of this period to this By the Tang dynasty, the burials constructed for the highest-
extraordinary degree. ranking members of society were decorated in a way that
suggested a courtly architectural compound through painted
The splendid figure would have been individually sculpted and designs of receiving halls, garden settings and official
extremely expensive to produce at the time. It would have gatherings, and a large amount of pottery figures of courtiers,
been commissioned for internment in a burial belonging to an attendants, entertainers, horses and camels . These figures
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elite member of the Tang society and deemed to become alive referred to frivolous moments of daily life and appeared in
for the benefit of its owner. Ancestors in China were deemed conjunction with a variety of extravagantly shaped vessels and
active participant to the life of their living offspring, which they personal ornaments made of gold, silver, and other precious
could positively influence if provided with continuous care. materials, which reflected the prosperity of the empire.
Miniature universes were thus presented in burials and filled
with a variety of necessities disguised as painted, carved or In appearance, the Ollivier camel recalls the Bactrian camel,
moulded images, which were believed to function like their real which was imported into China from the areas of the Tarim
counterpart if provided with the correct features . Forming an Basin, eastern Turkestan and Mongolia. This species was highly
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analogical relation with daily forms, these figures embodied regarded by the Tang emperors who established dedicated
important social and ideological aspects of their own time. offices to oversee the imperial camel herds . The heavy load of
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pouches, ewers and animal meat, so vividly slung between the
Since its earliest appearance in the form of food and drink two humps of the exquisite camel by means of an elaborate
vessels, the array of necessities for the afterlife expanded its structure composed of hinged slats of wood and poles, recalls
scope as society evolved and burials became increasingly the importance of foreign trade in Tang China. Referred to as
closer to the spaces and contents of life. This gradual change, the ships of the desert, camels endured hot temperatures and
initiated during the Warring States period (475–221 BC), were the essential method of transport for merchants wishing
probably resulted from the need of addressing an underground to conduct trade with the oasis cities of Central Asia, such as
bureaucracy that checked the deceased’s possessions before Samarkand, Bukhara and Isfahan, along the trading routes of
granting them entry into an undisturbed afterlife . Possibly the Silk Road .
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the forerunner of the practices observed in later times, the
mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of China, was Vast riches poured into the Tang capital, Chang’an, from
described by Sima Qian, China’s most celebrated historian the Silk Road. Merchants came from far afield to acquire
(d.86 BC), as an accurate map of the universe made of silk, bamboo and lacquer wares, and imported perfumes,
miniature replicas of palaces, ever flowing rivers and heavenly horse and jewels . Different types of food, spices, and wines
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