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The Tang Dynasty was an era of unrivalled wealth
and luxury. The country was successfully
reunified and the borders were expanded,
pushing Chinese influence into new lands.
Confucianism became a semi-religious
instrument of the state; yet Buddhism continued
to flourish, spreading into Korea and Japan. The
arts reached new levels of sophistication. Poetry
and literature flourished under the enlightened
rulers. The Silk Road brought fortunes into
China. Precious treasures were imported on the
backs of camels from far away lands and
bartered for Chinese silk, medicinal herbs, and
pungent spices. Tang China was a multicultural
empire where foreign merchants from across
Central Asia and the Middle East settled in the
urban centers, foremost among them the
thriving capital of Chang’an (modern X’ian), a
bustling cosmopolitan center of over two million
inhabitants. Foreign traders lived next to native
artisans and both thrived. New ideas and exotic
artistic forms followed alongside. The Tang
Dynasty was a cultural renaissance where many
of the forms and objects we now associate with
China were first created. Moreover, this period
represents one of the greatest cultural
outpourings in human history.
The great influence of the horse throughout the
history of China cannot be underestimated. In
fact, the ancient expansion of the Chinese
Empire was due in large part to the horse. The
rapid mobility of horses allowed for quick
communication between far away provinces.
Likewise, the military role of horses aided in the
defense of the borders from nomadic invaders as
well as the conquest and submission of distant
lands. The need to import stronger, faster
steeds from Central Asia (as opposed to the local
Mongol pony) led to the creation of the Silk
Road. The importance of the horse in the history
and culture of China can be viewed, in part,
through the artistic legacy of this great
civilization. In sculpture, painting, and literature,
horses were glorified and revered. Furthermore,
horses were believed to be relatives of the
mythological dragon, reflecting their sacred
status within society.
This general type of Chinese burial art is known
as mingqi. Mingqi were any of
a variety of objects specifically created for
interment in the tombs of elite individuals in
order to provide for the afterlife. This sculpture
depicts a noble lady riding upon a fine steed,
inscribed on its hind leg with the Chinese
characters denoting, “offical horse,” suggesting
her and the horse’s elite status. Riding horses
was a popular aristocratic tradition, as well as
playing polo, illuminating the link between the
upper crust of Tang society and horses. The
early dating of this work is reflective of the
stylization of the horses head and legs that were
characteristic of the preceding Sui Dynasty.
Overall, this sculpture is a testament to the
revered status of the horse in Chinese culture, a
love that reached new heights of expression
during the Tang Dynasty.
- (H.686)
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