Interview with Robert Jacobsen
Curator of Asian Art
1. Where did these figures come from and where were they made?
This set of ten figurines was excavated intact in 1948 from an imperial tomb in Honan province. They've been dated to the 8th century, and in fact were found near the capital of the ancient T'ang dynasty, which was in place between the years 618 and 906 A.D.
The "retinue", as such a group is called, is remarkable for its large size, fine modeling, lavish use of rare cobalt-blue glaze and the fact that it is apparently one of only two complete excavated tomb sets in Western collections.
2. What are all of the individual figures?
The retinue consists of five pairs of figures. There are two lokapalas (pronunciation: "LOH-kah-pah-lahs")(1, 2), which are guardian warriors of Indian Buddhist origin, often shown standing on bulls as they are here.
Then there are ch'i-t'ou (pronunciation: "CHEE-toh")—or earth spirits (3)—which you can see are composite creatures with feline bodies, grotesque heads, flaring wings, and flame-like crests. There are two civil officials (4), two camels (5, 6), and two exceptionally fine horses.(7)
3. What was the purpose of these relatively large figures?
The ancient Chinese believed wholeheartedly in life after death, and during the T'ang dynasty they continued a long-established practice of placing clay figures in the burial chambers of their dead.
These burial sculptures, called ming ch'i (pronunciation: "MING-chee") or "spirit articles," were placed in tombs to accompany and protect the dead in the afterlife. A special imperial government office was created for the production and supervision of ming ch'i.
Funeral processions at this time were extravagant and festive occasions. An ancient writer wrote that the dead were accompanied to their graves by great crowds who were entertained, in tents and pavilions along the route, with food, wine, actors, and acrobats.
Some families spent everything they had in efforts to compete with the funerals of their neighbors. Eventually, an imperial decree issued in 742 A.D. set limits on the size and number of tomb pieces allowed, according to the rank of the deceased. For example, dignitaries of high rank were allowed up to seventy pottery figures, while commoners were permitted fifteen.
4. How were they made?
These large objects were made by pressing clay into molds. The earth spirits, for example, were made in a two-part mold and then joined together with a clay slip at the arms and legs. The heads were made in a separate pair of molds and set into the bodies.
The same general principles of construction were followed in making animals and large-scale figures such as these, although the number of molds required was greater. By using molds, Chinese potters were able to create large-scale, three-dimensional pieces that were hollow, which prevented them from exploding in the kiln during firing.
Molds also permitted the potters to satisfy the substantial commercial demand for burial sculpture. All works still had to be finished by hand, however, which allowed for greater detail and individual expression despite the mass quantities made.
After the mold was completed, most tomb pieces were completely covered with a white substance called a slip. This process kept the iron content of the clay from discoloring the glazes, which were added next, and gave the colors a clearer, brighter quality.
The colored glazes most often used were green, amber, and yellow, although the potter was not limited to these three colors, as these figures show. The colors were formed by adding iron, manganese, or copper to a clear lead glaze.
Occasionally, rare and costly blue glazes were also applied. The blue coloring agent was cobalt, a highly sought-after import item first brought into China from the Middle East during this period. The scarcity of this fourth color suggests that it was usually reserved for the best and most striking pieces.
The lavish use of the cobalt blue glaze on these figures indicates that they were commissioned by a wealthy family who could afford the rare and costly material.
During the firing process, the lead glazes would run and streak, resulting in the luxuriously blended splashes and drips of color that typify T'ang ceramics.
5. How can we be so certain about the dating of objects like this?
Well, this group of objects is dated within the first half of the 8th century. This date is based on both stylistic and technological evidence. First, excavations of T'ang tombs have established that the height of multi-colored ceramics lasted from 700 to 756 A.D., ending when the country was shaken by the disastrous An Lushan rebellion. Second, samples from this group underwent thermo-luminescence tests at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, in Oxford, and the results were positive, placing the works within the range 718-1000 A.D.