Chinese Art

Contact with Western regions and the Middle East led to a flourishing of equestrian culture in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This era in Chinese history is often referred to as a "Golden Age," for arts and architecture reached a pinnacle. Porcelain was invented during the Tang Dynasty, and painted portraits began to gain favor among the nobility. Sculpture and painting both reflected a love of horses in motif and energy. Colors used in Tang Dynasty art were bright, usually blues and greens.

Ceramics blossomed during the Tang Dynasty, especially small earthenware figurines. Models of animals, guardian spirits, and women became particularly prolific; many of these figures were colored with yellow, green, and white glazes. Horses, both with and without riders, can be recognized as quintessentially Tang, as can figures of camels and oxen. The female form was also a popular subject in Tang sculpture. Voluptuous and sensual renderings of Court women demonstrated superior techniques. Larger scale stone sculptures of Boddhisattvas exhibit Indian and Tibetan Buddhist influences.

Indian artistic influences can be seen in these forms with their flowing robes and curvaceous hips. Huge developments were made in Chinese pottery during the Tang Dynasty. The new medium of porcelain gained favor; its white, delicate look helped artists decorate functional objects with increased flair. Bowls, vases, and other containers make with porcelain exhibited a fine, flowing quality. The thin nature of the kaolin clay from which porcelain is made caused the green and blue lead glazes to glow.

Earthenware and stone pottery done in browns and sepias are reminiscent of Hellenistic art. Small guardian spirits and portrait paintings both decorated the gravesites and tombs of emperors.