East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. A charming, hollow, mold-made ceramic camel, standing integrated onto a four-sided platform. The camel is depicted with its head thrust back in a lifelike manner and its body realistically formed. The piece was at one time painted, and some pigment remains, especially on the head and humps - white, grey, and orange. This camel was made to be a tomb figure, known as mingqi. Tang dynasty elites had underground tombs full of pottery figures that were made to care for their every need in the afterlife. Size: 5.65" L x 3" W x 6.6" H (14.4 cm x 7.6 cm x 16.8 cm)

The art of the Tang Dynasty is truly international, reflecting a world in which the Chinese court spread its influence through military conquest and trade to Central Asia, India, Persia, Africa, and southeastern Asia. In this prosperous period, Tang elites imitated the style of the Persians, wearing high boots, short tunics, and leopard skin hats. Music, sport, and dance all emulated Central Asian styles and made them their own. Nothing is more representative of this cultural milieu than the figure of the Bactrian camel who carried so many of these goods and, by extension, practices east and west along the Silk Road. Travelling west from the Tang capital, Chang'an, the Silk Road passed through Taklamakan Desert. The Bactrian camel was vital to this transport because of its abilities - to go without water for a week, to travel thirty miles a day, and to carry hundreds of pounds, as well as to withstand very hot and very cold temperatures.

Provenance: private Florida, USA collection

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#126542

Repaired from multiple pieces, with traces of glaze remaining.