Public Domain

Figure of a Striding Camel

700-725

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Figure of a Striding Camel

700-725

Physical Qualities Earthenware with brown, green, and transparent lead glazes over white slip, 32 1/2 x 28 3/4 x 8 1/16 in. (82.6 x 73 x 20.5 cm.)

Credit Line Gift of David K.E. Bruce

Object Number 1956.148

Bright lead glaze, applied in layers, evokes a camel’s heavy, matted fur. Splashes on the slab base reveal the runny nature of the glaze. This clay camel was made for a Tang dynasty (618–907) tomb and would have been accompanied by many other ceramic figures. Tombs belonging to aristocratic or military elite were furnished with everything necessary for the deceased soul’s comfort and amusement. Mortuary pottery of girls playing polo, horses saddled and ready to ride, and fearsome guardian creatures, as well as copies of metalwork from Central Asia, are among the objects discovered in these tombs. Family amply provided such items for the soul of the deceased to secure their ancestor’s favor. Families reinforced their status by carrying furnishings to the tomb in a display of filial piety and disposable wealth. Some families were even bankrupted by this practice. An imperial decree of 742 limited the contents of tombs based on the rank of the deceased: officials of the third rank and above were permitted up to 70 figures, while most were allowed only 15.

The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1956; David K. E. Bruce, Washington, D.C., by 1955

Frances Klapthor, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Chinese Mortuary Ceramics from the Collection," December 2008-December 2009.
BMA, "New Accessions," Summer 1957.

"A Tribute to Adelyn D. Breeskin," "BMA New Quarterly," Vol. XXV, No. 4, Summer 1962, ill. p. 25.

K. R. Greenfield, "The Museum: Its First Half Century," "Annual I," Baltimore: BMA, 1966, ill. p. 29.

Frances Klapthor, Chinese Ceramics, Baltimore: BMA, 1993, no. 10, p. 22, ill. p. 23.

Frances Klapthor, "Asian: Camel," "Diamond of the Month," BMA, 1996.

BMA Today, Baltimore: BMA, November - December 2004, p. 13, ill.

Linda Andre, 'Braying Camel, Chinese, Tang dynasty,' "School Arts," vol. 109, no. 4, December 2009, pp. 25-28, ill. pp. 26-27.

Baltimore Museum of Art. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Celebrating a Museum. Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2014.

"Treasures from Africa and Asia," "BMA Today," Winter-Spring 2015, The Baltimore Museum of Art, no. 7, p. 5, ill.