CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

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A group of five painted pottery female
musicians
Height 30.8 (12 Vs)-37 (13 y 2 )
Tang Dynasty, early seventh century CE
From the tomb of Yu Yin and Princess Jinxiang,
Xi'an, Shaanxi Province
Xi'an Municipal Institute of Archaeology
and Preservation of Cultural Relics,
Shaanxi Province
Washington only
The horses depicted in this group are of a
large and spirited breed much sought after by
the Chinese. Originating in the grasslands of the
Asian interior, such horses were much larger than
the pony native to China and were valued for their
speed and noble character. These qualities made
the breed ideally suited for hunting as well as for
battle (often against the same nomads from whom
they had been obtained).
Watching the hunt was as much a spectator
sport as a participatory pastime for the Tang aristocracy;
the fact that the all men in this group
are foreigners may indicate that hunts were staged
as a form of court entertainment. M K
i Excavated in 1991; reported: Xi'an 1997,14 -19.
Among the mingqi found in Jinxiang's tomb was a
group of five female musicians mounted on horseback.
1 While their features suggest Chinese ethnicity,
there is little in the figures' dress, musical
instruments, or implied approach to music that
relates to native Chinese traditions; to the contrary,
everything about them indicates the strong influence
of Central Asia. The fascination with the
music of other cultures began in the Han dynasty
and continued through the Tang. Foreign music
from all parts of the known world was the rage
at the Tang court. Literary sources refer to performances
of music originating in Japan, Korea, and
many other areas; the most popular performers,
however, were those from Central Asia.
In contrast to later representations of women
(see cat. 173), these female figures are fairly thin,
and their tight-fitting, belted tunics and trousers
are appropriate for riding. Painted patterns represent
different types of fabric: one woman wears
a dark-colored garment (perhaps leather); another
wears a thick, short-sleeved jacket with intricate
designs probably intended to represent a woven
fabric. Their head gear is spectacular. The most
elaborate is a fantastic hat that sweeps up from one
woman's head to represent a large bird. Flaps, representing
the tail of the bird, cover the back of her
neck and upper shoulders, and the intricately
drawn patterns on the back of the hat suggest that
actual feathers were used to decorate such headgear.
The other women have their hair tied in
494 | EARLY IMPERIAL CHINA