Funerary Sculpture of a Bactrian Camel
The appearance of the camel reflects the superiority of pottery craftsmen’s artistic style. The representation of the sculpture shows the high-level interpretation of colors and the customs of the Tang Dynasty on the Silk Road. The sculpture itself is made of ceramics. The smooth shaping makes its shape lively. The sculpture depicts a scene of a two-humped camel walking with goods. The camel was carrying silk and a water bottle and was shaped in a realistic way. It stands on a rectangular seat with strong limbs and hissing. The fine craftsmanship expresses every detail of the camel vividly and vividly, full of tension. The camel's image is tall, the neck bristles are clearly visible, the leg tendons are more lifelike, the hair and bone structure are hidden in the three-dimensional lines, as if they can run in the next second. There are uneven textures on the camel's neck, which vividly express the details of the painted object itself.
The main body of the sculpture is made of three colors: yellow, green and white. The top of the camel's head, peak, inner neck, thigh and tail are not glazed. The main color of the rest is yellow, and the blanket is mainly green with yellow and black. The use of three colors adds vitality to the sculpture and strengthens the authenticity of the sculpture. The black vertical bars are painted on the camel's torso to increase the depth of its muscle texture. At the same time, the black creates shadows from deep to shallow, making the camel's muscles more vivid. The cargo on the back of the camel is mainly composed of yellow and green. The green saddle pad expresses the shape of the saddle and distinguishes the saddle from the camel's body to enhance the contrast. The cargo on the camel is mainly yellow, which vividly shows the shape of the cargo. The three colors are distributed on the camel in a staggered way, showing the camel's image more three-dimensionally. On the whole, the glaze layer flows naturally, and the colors change properly, presenting the unique tonal style of the Tang San Cai, which also reflects the control and thinking of the colors of the artists in the Tang Dynasty.
The artist also portrayed the appearance of the camel, vividly showing the scene where the sculpture was used. The camel's head is up to the sky with its mouth open, which symbolizes the exhaustion after delivering the goods. At the same time, the texture on its neck shows the match when delivering the goods. The camel has four legs staggered, as if walking in the desert, suggesting the long way and uncertain condition on the silk road. At the same time, the saddle and goods on its body suggest the owner's usual habit of using camels. The length of the silk road and the perilous environment during the journey makes camels with high tolerance necessary in harsh environments during the trip. By depicting the form and appearance of the camel, the artist also shows the form of the sculpture itself and suggests at its original purpose.
The sculpture and the object it depict also has its historical significance which is manifested in two aspects: the first is its record of the exploration of the Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty, and the second is its contribution to the tomb culture of the Tang Dynasty and the interpretation of afterlife of the owner of the tomb.
In the Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road has developed to its heyday, and the camel as its main means of transportation has a particularly important position. In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese nation was unified and prosperous and rich in products, which attracted the Hu businessmen from the Western Regions to travel far and wide to the Central Plains through the Silk Road. Offerings from the Western Regions, such as silk and porcelain, came to the Central Plains through camels, the most important transportation carrier. The silk, porcelain, iron smelting and casting techniques of the Central Plains also spread to West Asia and even Europe through the Silk Road (Waugh). Therefore, the camel team was the most important transportation vehicle for political, economic and cultural exchanges at that time. Along the Silk Road is basically a desert. The camel, which enjoys the reputation of "Ship of the Desert", has become an indispensable means of transportation on the Silk Road (Truong). Camel became an important form of expression in Tang San Cai. The discovery of the sculpture also shows the exchange of culture on the silk road. Tang San Cai was continuously influenced by the Silk Road, and it also reflects the influence of economic and cultural exchanges on the development of art.
Thick burials prevailed in the Tang Dynasty, which required higher requirements for funerary objects. These shapes were buried deeply in the ground together with the nobles as funerals, hoping that they could still enjoy the most exquisite living utensils between them after they died. Tang San Cai’s discovery in the tomb also shows to a large extent the owner’s vision of the world after death: the owner of the tomb believes that the afterlife will enter another world and bringing the statue of a camel into the tomb symbolizes the sculptured. The objects will enter the world of afterlife with the owner of the tomb (Bellarmine Museum). Therefore, bringing camels from the silk road into the tomb symbolizes the desire of the owner of the tomb to explore the silk road after his death and his fantasy towards the culture of the western regions.
To make a comparison with other Tang Sancai during the Tang dynasty, Huren images represent the cultural influence of the Silk Road through depicting the appearance of travelers on the silk road. Huren, in those sculptures, is depicted deep-eyed, high-nosed. Leading the roaring horse, he wears pointed hats and looks like a businessman. His hair is divided to the two sides, each with a braid behind the ears. Besides, he wears a green Hufu with lapel and narrow sleeves, the inner layer of the lapel is yellowish brown, the waist is tied, and the left side of the robe seems to turn up with the wind. He raised his left hand on his hips and raised his right hand. Although there was no horse or camel around him, he looked like a bridle with his right hand, as if a vigorous steed or a tall camel was neighing beside him. Moreover, he holds a western instruments and sings. In contrast with the Funerary Sculpture of Bactrian Camel, the Huren figurines show the influence of the Silk Road on the Tang Dynasty from the perspective of culture and humanity (Bellemare). Huren’s posture and clothing decoration reflect the artistic influence brought by the Silk Road, while the depiction of camels uses a realistic perspective to record the means of transportation and real scenes when crossing the silk road.
As one of the most representative sculptures, the Funerary Sculpture of Bactrian Camel shows the highest artistic achievement in Tang dynasty and the legacy of Tang San Cai. Its vivid depiction of camel, the rendering of color, and depiction of details represents artists’ understanding towards shadow and verisimilitude. The representation of cargo and camel suggests the influence of silk road on Tang dynasty’s culture and Tang people’s understanding towards afterlife. With more investigation on Tang San Cai, the mystery of Tang’s culture and silk road will be further unveiled.
-Shiyun Tang
Works Cited:
Bellemare, Julie. “The Sogdians Influencers on the Silk Roads.” The Sogdians, sogdians.si.edu/camel-with-musicians/.
Truong, Alain. “A Magnificent sancai-glazed pottery figure of a Bactrian camel and a foreign groom, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907),
http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2018/03/19/36245168.html
The Bellarmine Museum. “Immortality of the Spirit: Chinese Funerary Art from the Han & Tang Dynasties.” Immortality of the Spirit: Chinese Funerary Art from the Han & Tang Dynasties | Fairfield University Art Museum,
www.fairfield.edu/museum/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/immortality-of-the-spirit-
chinese-funerary-art-from-the-han-tang-dynasties/index.html.
Waugh, Daniel C. Silk Road Art--Horses and Camels, depts.washington.edu/silkroad/exhibit/trade/horcamae.html.