Camel; China, Tang Dynasty, 618–907.

Camel; China, Tang Dynasty, 618–907.
Terracotta.
Thermoluminescence analysis attached.
The tail has been restored.
Measurements: 34 x 25.5 x 11 cm.
A full-relief terracotta sculpture depicting a camel. The camel’s expression and the detail in its face are particularly noteworthy. These features reveal that the sculptor worked with the intention of faithfully representing a real-life scene. The Tang Dynasty is regarded by historians as a golden age of Chinese civilization, equal to or even surpassing the Han period. Emerging after a period of despotism under the reign of the cruel Yang Di, it was established by Li Shimin who, moved by filial piety, placed his father on the throne before assuming the role of emperor himself and founding the Tang Dynasty. Stimulated by contact with India and the Middle East via the Silk Road, the Tang Empire experienced a creative boom in numerous fields. Buddhism, which had emerged in India during the time of Confucius, continued to flourish during this period and was adopted by the imperial family, becoming an essential part of traditional Chinese culture. Likewise, the development of printing expanded the dissemination of written works, giving rise to the golden age of Chinese art and literature.
This great cultural opening resulted in an art that was fundamentally colorful, expressive, and highly eclectic, although it remained primarily for funerary use, with the artist continuing to be an anonymous craftsman. However, from this point on, high-fired ceramics, decorated with glazes, would come to be used as a status symbol, with types such as vessels for the scholar’s table and all kinds of tableware.