Elephant; China, Tang dynasty, 618-907.

Elephant; China, Tang dynasty, 618-907.
Polychrome terracotta.
Attached thermoluminescence.
Measurements: 25 x 30 x 16 cm.
This elephant figure, made in polychrome terracotta and dated to the Tang dynasty (618-907), presents a compact modeling and a very degraded pictorial treatment, but still legible in the remains of red and green pigment that articulate the saddle and some ornamental details. The volume of the body, of robust proportions and smoothly rounded lines, is combined with a schematic design of the face and limbs that responds to the sculptural canons of Tang funerary statuary. It is particularly significant, and relatively infrequent, to find the representation of an elephant in this type of figures, since the iconography linked to the funerary world of the period usually favors camels, horses and zoomorphic guardians associated with trade and spiritual protection, while elephants, although known through the exchange routes, appear much less regularly in the preserved material repertoire.
The Tang dynasty is considered by historians to be an era of splendor comparable or even superior to the Han. After the despotic rule of Yang Di, Li Shimin established the dynasty by first elevating his father to the throne out of filial piety. Under the Tang, and thanks to the contact with India and the Middle East through the Silk Road, the empire experienced a remarkable cultural boom: Buddhism flourished and was integrated into imperial life, the printing press boosted the dissemination of texts and a colorful, expressive and eclectic artistic production was developed, although still focused on funerary uses. High-fired pottery was consolidated as a status symbol, while terracotta and stoneware continued to be used for grave goods. Important innovations emerged in this field, such as the tricolor sancai glazes, along with pieces decorated with engobes. The grave goods are organized into six major types - guardians, ceremonial figures, animals, musicians and ladies, utensils and architectural models - and three production periods can be distinguished: an initial period (681-683) dominated by unglazed engobes; a second (683-779), corresponding to the heyday of the sancai; and a third, until the beginning of the 10th century, characterized by sancai glazes of decreasing quality.