The time is the eighth century A.D., when the Tang dynasty was at the height of its power.
The place is the cosmopolitan and international city of Changan.
Noblemen escorting a funeral procession proceed slowly, filling the street for more than 20 kilometers. People from far and wide have gathered to watch the procession. In the streets are Chinese spectators, Japanese students, and nomads from the northern Steppes. Sumptuously attired matrons slowly approach on fine horses.
One of the highlights of the procession are the huge pottery pieces, row after row of ceramic horses, camels, servants, people, guardians, and spirits, carried down the street on poles for all to see and appreciate. Symbolizing the deceased's high position, the ceramic figures seem to have had yellow, green, and purple hues poured on them in a bewildering profusion.
It is hard for the people to believe there are such bright and beautiful things in this world. And after so much time and energy has been put into them they are to be buried forever. This funeral procession is the first time they have been seen in public, but it is also the last, for after they have been baptized by the sun and praised by all the onlookers, they will be buried to accompany the deceased in his long sleep. Will they ever see the sun again?. . .
In a flash a thousand years have passed, and now it is the twentieth century, the last years of the Ching dynasty. A railroad is being constructed from Kaifeng to Loyang. The laborers toil under the sun, and now and then unearth, mud-covered shards. They do not realize that the ground they are excavating is an historic burial place. They also are not aware that the pottery finds are examples of Tang polychrome ware. As they dig, more and more pieces of this beautiful art form are revealed.
Simply stated, "Tang tricolor ware" is the polychrome funerary ware popular in the Kaifeng-Loyang region in the Eighth Century, during the height of Tang dynasty. The most eye-catching and most favored figures among the Tang tricolor ware are the horses, with their small heads, thick necks, strong bodies, and four long and boldly outlined legs. These Mongol ponies, although not even a foot tall are exquisitely made and incorporate the full, substantial appearance which was the hallmark of Tang beauty. The early Republican period scholar, Cheng Te-kun, said that the Tang tricolor horse could be compared favorably with Greek statuary. "The most beautiful things have an angry appearance. The Tang horse's high position in art is due to this quality."
Tang tricolor ware was produced during the halcyon days of the Tang dynasty. At that time the social order was stable the economy was thriving and the suburbs of Changan and Loyang were thickly populated. The capital, Changan, was the political, economic, and cultural center of Asia. The Tang royalty and nobility led luxurious lives. Later, with the advent of the Buddhist teaching of reincarnation, the making of funerary vessels gave them one more opportunity to flaunt their wealth.
Tang tricolors can be compared to the night-flowering cereus which blooms once and is soon gone. For a while, the nobility could disport themselves. But already, An Lu-shan was fomenting trouble in the border regions which was to bring the decline of the dynasty. At the height of its prosperity, there were 8,400,000 noble families in the Changan-Loyang region, while after the rebellion only 1,440,000 remained. The nobility lost all interest in posthumous honors. In the Sung dynasty which followed came the beginnings of Chinese porcelain. In the Sung and Yuan the practice of cremation also started and papier-mache figures were burned with the dead. The buried tricolor pieces may have lost some of their brilliance, but their historical significance and beauty remain.
[Picture Caption]
1. Tomb guardians look fierce and grotesque. 2. 3. Two military officials flanked by tomb guardian spirits. 4. The colors of these two 18 cm high cattle have faded.
1. Horses with groom and female servants. 2. This colored horse and female rider was repaired and restored by the History Museum. 3. A yellow glazed horse, 74 cm high by 80 cm wide. 4. This tricolor horse, with its beautiful saddle, clearly shows off the glory of the Tang dynasty.
1. In these multi-colored female servants costumes, hairstyles, and dance styles of the Tang dynasty are revealed. 2. The bulging eyes and bushy eyebrows of this fierce military official instill fear in the hearts of men. 3. This civil official, with hands clasped across his breast, displays an appropriate scholarly disposition.
Two military officials flanked by tomb guardian spirits.
Two military officials flanked by tomb guardian spirits.
The colors of these two 18 cm high cattle have faded.
Horses with groom and female servants.
This colored horse and female rider was repaired and restored by the History Museum.
A yellow glazed horse, 74 cm high by 80 cm wide.
This tricolor horse, with its beautiful saddle, clearly shows off the glory of the Tang dynasty.
In these multi-colored female servants costumes, hairstyles, and dance styles of the Tang dynasty are revealed.
The bulging eyes and bushy eyebrows of this fierce military official instill fear in the hearts of men.
This civil official, with hands clasped across his breast, displays an appropriate scholarly disposition.
