Mortuary Figurine
Object Number:
C465
Current Location:
China Gallery
Culture:
Chinese
Provenience:
China
Period:
Tang Dynasty
Date Made:
Tang Dynasty
Early Date:
618
Late Date:
906
Section:
Asian
Materials:
Clay
Glaze
Technique:
Three Color Glaze
Fired
Iconography:
Camel
Description:
Glazed pottery figure of a camel without a pack. This figurine would have been placed in a tomb with other ceremonial and everyday objects, such as horses and mounted musicians. Animal subjects were believed to help the soul communicate with spirits and make travel in the afterlife more comfortable. Camels, associated with trade and travel, were the main means of transport along the Silk Road. Passing through the Gobi Desert, camels were better suited to handle the heat, earning the name "ships of the desert". This camels has two humps and can be identified as a bactrian camel.Cream predominating. C461 through C468 is a set.
Credit Line:
Purchased from C. T. Loo
Current & Past Exhibitions:
Chinese Rotunda (1968)
Bibliography:
[Book] 1983. Compton's Encyclopedia. : Page/Fig./Plate: p. 297a
[Article] Fernald, H. E. 1925. Mortuary Figures of the T'ang Dynasty. The Museum Journal. Volume XVI (No. 3): 153-181. : Page/Fig./Plate: pg. 173
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