Pottery is a skill man acquired very early in cultural development. “In the Far East, pottery has been found from around 10,000 BC” (Hutt 69). The Tang Dynasty period, 618 to 907 AD is only one small section of history on the Chinese pottery timeline, but it is noted especially for its ceramic funerary animals and its change from earthenware to stoneware. There is a strong foreign influence during this period and it is evident in the ceramics as well as other art (Medley 77). During the Tang period, there are gradual improvements in the earthenware and stoneware. It seems that there is a search for the “pure white body” (Medley 97). For centuries, there had been a continued effort to make bodies cleaner, whiter, and harder. It is in the Tang Period that “the clay bodies themselves were essentially kaolinic, being supplemented… with other ingredients which helped towards a degree of vitrification. It is to this type of material in north China that the term porcellanous is applied” (Medley 99). It is perhaps a type of “protoporcelain” that leads historians to believe that porcelain was developed sometime between the Han and Tang dynasties (Latourette 628). This had a profound impact on the art of Asia and of Europe (Medley 102). The result of this type of pottery was also the invention of the word “china,” the modern word for more refined ceramics used today (Smith 142).
The animals frequently found in Tang ceramics were created using several moulds and then by luting [cross-hatching] the pieces together and strengthening those areas with plugs of clay on the inside to reduce the strain on the joins (Hutt 74). In order to make the moulded pieces, the potter would place a piece of clay on the mould and press it into the mould using the fingertips (the same as the current process used today by many potters). The potters of the Tang Dynasty also used a twin mould, a mould for the inside and outside of the piece. A piece of clay was then pressed in between them which ensured a more uniform thickness of the piece (Hutt 74). “The significant feature of the figurines is their realism, and this despite the mechanical methods by which they were made. Realism as such is rare in Chinese art in any medium, and is exceptional in the Tang Period” (Medley 78). In these figures, a vitality and quality of the individual were emphasized.
There is also a “contemporary ideal of feminine beauty” which is seen in a large number of figures that are sitting or standing (Medley 79). Apparently, the acceptable form of feminine beauty was of slender elegance and grace. However, during the eighth century, during the Tang period, “the figures became more matronly…heavier, stouter, and much rounder and fatter in the face” (Medley 79).
Buddhism is popular in China and during the Tang Dynasty, the Dvarapla, or Four Heavenly Kings, guardians of the four corners, appeared frequently in funerary pottery. The king is usually shown stamping an evil beast and holding a spear (typically thought to have been made of wood). These figures were placed to guard the entrance of the tomb and one would be placed at each of the four corners of the tomb (Medley 80).
During this period, there was an enlightened time of trade and peace with foreign nations. “Thriving commerce attracted merchants from everywhere” (Smith 136). Evidence of these foreigners is seen in the tomb figures during this time. Turkish, Iranian, Semitic, Japanese, Indian, and many other nationalities were noted in the pottery. Horses were also imported during this time and the Tang Period is now famous for its horses displayed in its funerary artwork.
The most common forms of pottery during this time were the “globular jars and offering trays with a horizontal rim and most often an incised floral decoration in the centre” (Hook 423). Later, there is a Western influence and slim-necked vases with two dragon handles, similar to Greek vases, were seen. The Hellenistic designs were also seen in funerary pottery (Latourette 628).
Because China is such a large country, ceramics varied from region to region during this time. In North Central Region, the stoneware is fine grained and the common practice was to “cover it with a thin whitish slip, almost to the base, before rouletting the surface with either a dotted or a fine chevron pattern” (Medley 91). In the East and South-East Region, the pottery is taller with long necked vases and low-domed lids. In the South Central Region, the pottery is stouter with a “short straight spout set high on the shoulder” (Medley 97). The Tang period was also noted for its sancai (“three-color”) lead glaze. “The three main colours, from which the type takes its name, are green, amber, and cream, but black and blue were also part of the palette” (Hutt 82). There were two ways in which this glaze was applied. The first occurred when the potter impressed a die into the center of a flat offering-tray and then repeated the design in contrasting colors around the center design. The other way it was applied was to pour it over a globular thrown jar, characteristic of the time, and, due to its low viscosity, it would run down the jar in a vertical shape (Hutt 83). The glaze would also be used in conjunction with wax to give the piece a batik-like design. Because the sencai glaze was a low fire glaze, the potters had trouble using it on high fire ceramics. They overcame this problem during this period by firing the body first at a high temperature and then firing it again at a lower temperature once the glaze was applied (Hutt 89). This technique is crucial to today’s potters and the application of glazes. Another process that was developed during this time period was the application of slip to the piece before glazing. This process is called polychrome glazing and it gives a “clearer, brighter quality” to the colors so that the iron content would not discolor them (Medley 80). Many times a dark brown or black slip was painted over the white slip and then a transparent colorless glaze applied on top (Hook 401). A marbled effect often resulted from the mixture of the two colors under the clear glaze. During the Tang dynasty, there is also a curious interest in “glaze transmutations” in which high-fired stoneware changes colors in the kilns. This is seen especially when place blue or gray flecks of glaze are applied to a dark brown or black background, resembling tea-dust (Hook 402). The Tang Dynasty is important to the development of ceramics for its contributions in clay bodies, firing methods, and glazing techniques. Many of these techniques are used today and have been passed down through the ages, especially the concept of the bisque firing or initial high firing before glazing.