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 camel is an
unusual domestic animal; it carries a saddle of
flesh on its back; swiftly it
dashes over the shifting sands; it manifests its
merit in dangerous places; it
has a secret understanding of springs and
sources, subtle indeed is its
knowledge.
--Guo
Pu, 3rd Century AD
For the Chinese, camels
symbolized commerce and its associated wealth,
largely concentrated on profits
though trading on the Silk Road. Trade
across this extensive network of paths and trails
brought prosperity, foreign
merchants, and exotic merchandize into
China.
However, the dusty trails of the Silk
Road were an arduous journey
through the rugged mountains and harsh desert
of Central Asia that could only be
traversed by the two humped Bactrian
camel.
This remarkable beast was able to
withstand the scorching heat of the
desert and maintain its own nutrients, surviving
for months without fresh
supplies of water. The government
kept vast herds of these invaluable creatures,
presided over by civil officials,
for hauling their precious commodities across
the Silk Road.
These exotic creatures were a common
sight in the cosmopolitan cities of
Tang China, carrying both traders and their
goods directly into the markets.
Likewise, Tang artist began to create
charming representations of
these prized creatures as mingqi in
order to symbolize wealth and
prosperity in the afterlife.
Mingqi
were works of art specifically created in an
ancient Chinese custom for
interment in the tombs of elite individuals in
order to provide for their
afterlife. Some of the most
beautiful works of Chinese art were excavated
from such tombs, and this
sculpture of a camel and detachable rider is a
perfect example of the refined
artistry dedicated to such works despite the fact
that they were never meant to
be seen by the living. The distinct
physiognomy of the rider reveals that he is of
foreign descent, most likely a
Turkic merchant from Central Asia. We
can imagine him guiding a caravan of camel into
the cities of T’ang China,
carrying his precious goods directly into the
market.
Both the camel and rider are elegantly
painted in polychrome hues.
Most charming are the individual hairs
along the camel’s neck and
detailed eyes. The rider also wears
red boots and sports a full beard. This sculpture reveals the T’ang
Dynasty’s respect and
admiration for this beast of burden, so essential
to the prosperity of ancient
China.
