Horse and Groom
First it is important to discuss the figures actually represented in the statues and the era of history they embody. The groom figure is likely a Sogdian man, as indicated by his pointed hat and his robed attire. Sogdia was a collection of states that existed mostly in the Central Asian countries today called Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Located along and adjacent to the Silk Road, the Sogdian people engaged in extensive trading and traveling throughout the region. “The trade in horses was, in the 8th century at least, the major commerce of the region,” so it is logical that the groom would be depicted with a horse (Raby and Wilde). In addition to being craftsmen and traders, the Sogdians acted “as successful middlemen between the Chinese and the nomadic powers to the north” (Raby and Wilde). They practiced a wide variety of religions, ranging from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism to Islam. They also spoke a number of different languages. Documents written in languages like Sogdian, Sanskrit, and Khotanese were found in the famous Library Cave at the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang upon its rediscovery at the beginning of the 20th century. These documents have given archaeologists and historians a great deal of insight into the lives and cultures of the Sogdian people, especially as they lived in Imperial China. During the Tang Dynasty, many Sogdians had powerful roles in the military and government. The end of the Tang Dynasty in the 10th century also coincided with the conversion of the large-scale conversion of the Sogdian people to Islam and the decline of their language in favor of Persian. For that reason, the Sogdian and Chinese cultural overlap represents a very unique and specific time in history. The earthenware horse and groom embodies this blend of cultures by using Chinese materials and techniques to represent Sogdian figures.
The materials used to make the figures are fired clay and glaze. The horse’s tail is made of actual horsehair. During the Tang Dynasty, a ceramics technique called Sancai emerged as a significant decorative art. The process involves using a “three-colored glaze on pottery fired at a low temperature” (Jiang 1). Although the glaze technically contains many colors, the most prominent are brown, green, and off-white. Those hues lend the technique its name (Sancai literally means ‘three colors’) as well as its distinctive appearance, which should be familiar even to those unfamiliar with Tang-era aesthetics. Many Sancai figures are people and animals, and the natural earth tones of the glaze lend them a striking realism (Jiang 2). In the horse and groom figurines, the horse is an almost amber shade of brown, as is the man’s robe. The horse’s saddle and the upper part of the man’s robe are deep green, and the horse’s head and mane are creamy off-white. It is also important to note that the glaze is not applied perfectly or necessarily evenly. Certain parts of the figurines are darker than others, and there is evidence that some of it has dripped down onto the man’s legs. Some of the colors look streaked or runny. More than anything, the glaze is an approximation of color, rather than a precise application of it. For the most part, these inconsistencies do not take away from the effect of the sculptures or what they depict. Even more than the groom, the horse looks very realistic, even down to its hooves. It is clear that whoever sculpted the figure was intimately familiar with the anatomy and proportions of horses. Because the Sogdians valued horses so much, and because they interacted with the Chinese people in the Tang period, this is not a surprise, and further exemplifies the links between the cultures.
The final part of the analysis of these objects involves their function in the culture they existed in. Many historians believe that Tang-era Sancai statues were used “as containers for ritual offerings” (Jiang 1). Many burial sites and tombs contained such items, and as a result they have been linked to the Tang elite and the imperial family. Documents have been found which lay “down regulations for burials, [indicating] that there was a strict hierarchical system for the allocation and utilization of burial land” (Jiang 2). Moreover, scholars have come to the conclusion with the help of such documentation that these funerary practices were reserved for the upper-class and not meant for commoners. It appears that Tang Sancai was a highly treasured style of artwork. This idea is further supported by the fact that it was more expensive to make than unglazed ceramics, meaning that it was intended more for certain occasions. Because they were intended for ceremonial purposes and rituals, it is unlikely that Tang Sancai figurines, or other objects like utensils, would have been intended for daily use (Jiang 3). Despite the delicate nature of glaze and clay, the statues have proven to hold up well over time. Although they are over a thousand years old, the lack of organic material has enabled them to retain their shape and even their color. This might also be due to the process itself, which uses lead-glazed earthenware, meaning that the clay must be fired twice. This step makes it more durable and less susceptible to wear over time. Clearly, the people who made figures like the horse and the groom had a vested interest in ensuring that future generations might be able to see or use them. If nothing else, they wanted to ensure that they were intact for ritualistic purposes. The fact of these objects’ preservation is also important considering the role that Tang Sancai plays in popular and scholarly understandings of the aesthetics of the time. Unlike other artforms or craft styles that might have been lost to time, Tang Sancai is still widely known and appreciated today.
It is likely that the many religions that existed around the Silk Road at the time made use of these objects and valued them greatly. Fortunately due to historical, material, and functional concerns, people all around the world can still enjoy Tang Sancai statues like the horse and the groom today.
-Jack Odom
Works Cited:
Jiang, Qiqi. “Tang Sancai,” Oxford University Research Archive, 2009.
Raby, Julian; Wilde, Thomas. “The Sogdian Influencers on the Silk Roads: Seeking the Sogdian Abroad,” The Smithsonian, 2020.