044 Tang Tomb Figure

The Tang era in China lasted between 618 and 906 CE. The Tang was an enormously successful, organised and prosperous dynasty, ruling an area which, at its height, stretched from the Korean peninsula in the north to Vietnam in the south, and far west into Central Asia.

This ceramic figure was commissioned by Liu Tingxun, an important Tang official who died in 728 CE at the age of 72. His many titles tell us something about the complexity of Tang society. They include general of the Zhongwu Army, lieutenant of Henan and Huinan district, and Imperial Privy Councillor. Liu Tingxun wanted his many achievements to be remembered after death, and above all he wanted them to be presented to the Chinese gods of the Underworld, who would decide his fate in the afterlife.

In order to ensure he was remembered fairly, Liu Tingxun commissioned an obituary celebrating his many achievements, which was buried with him in his tomb. Along with this document was a group of ceramic figures who would accompany him into the afterlife. The group includes mythical guardians, animals, and humans—this particular figure is a civil official. He is there to present the case for Liu Tingxun to the underworld gods. Much of Tang China’s power was based on the Tang people’s extraordinary aptitude for administration and bureaucracy. An important political and military figure like Liu Tingxun would have relied on officials and administrators throughout his life, and so it is fitting that a model of a civil official has accompanied him in death. Tang China is famous for ceramic tomb figures like this one—around 700 CE they were made in huge numbers, and they have been found right across north-west China, where the most important Tang cities were located at the time.