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Chinese Art :
Sui Dynasty : Sui period ochre-glazed terracotta figurine of a standing male court attendant
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Sui period ochre-glazed terracotta figurine of a standing male court attendant - CB.2747
Origin: China
Circa: 581
AD
to 618
AD
Dimensions:
8" (20.3cm) high
Collection: Chinese Art
Medium: Glazed terracotta
£7,600.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
The Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) was
an imperial dynasty of China, though
short-lived of pivotal significance, as
they managed to unify the country
after four centuries of fragmentation
in which North and South China had
gone towards opposite and
belligerent directions; furthermore
they succeeded to reinstall the rule
of ethnic Han Chinese in the entirety
of China, along with implementing a
systematic program of sinicization of
former nomadic ethnic minorities
within the country’s territory.
The Sui also set the stage for and
began to set in motion an artistic
and cultural renaissance that
reached its zenith in the succeeding
Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) which
largely inherited its foundations and
principles. This includes not only the
major public works initiated, such as
the Great Wall and the Great Canal,
but also the political system
developed by the Sui, which was
adopted by the Tang rulers with little
initial change other than at the top
of the political hierarchy.
The Sui dynasty provided a very
stable though militaristic economy.
Emperors Wen and Yang undertook
various centralized reforms, most
notably the equal-field system,
intended to reduce economic
inequality by increasing and
improving agricultural productivity
which would support a centralized
government power, along the
standardization and re-unification of
the coinage.
By the middle of the dynasty, the
newly unified empire entered a
golden age of prosperity with vast
agricultural surplus that supported a
rapid population growth. They had
also built a number of large
granaries which supplied the
population with a stable source of
nourishment during famine years.
The architecture and engineering of
the Sui was dominated by the chief
engineer of the period, Yuwen Kai,
who in nine months designed a vast
capital city at Daxing that was six
times the size of present-day Xi’an
at the same site. The royal palace of
Daxing had a rotating pavilion
accommodating 200 guests. Painters
came from throughout the country
seeking patronage at the Sui court
and the dynasty established a
pattern of patronizing the arts that
was later much embraced by all the
Tang rulers. The Grand Canal,
currently a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, one of the greatest
achievements of the dynasty, is the
longest canal or artificial river in the
world with a total length of 1,776 km
(1,104 mi).
Starting at Beijing, it passes
through Tianjin and the provinces of
Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and
Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou,
linking the Yellow River and Yangtze
River. The oldest parts of the canal
date back to the 5th century BC, but
the various sections of it were first
connected during the Sui dynasty,
with the Yuan and Ming dynasties
significantly rebuilding the canal and
altering its route to supply their
capital Beijing.
Although the Sui dynasty was
relatively short-lived, in terms of
culture, it represents a transition
from the preceding ages, and many
cultural developments which can be
seen to be incipient during the Sui
dynasty, were later expanded and
consolidated during the ensuing Tang
dynasty, and later ages. Other
cultural developments of the Sui
dynasty are perceptible in the
domains of religion and literature,
particular examples being the
spreading and encouraging of
Buddhism and the flourishing of
poetry.
In 40 years, the Sui introduced the
elements needed for a genuine
imperial rule – a strongly centralized
military and civil administration with
a sound financial base, the creation
of an effective canal system linking
north and south, and while using
Buddhism as a unifying force, they
revived Confucianism as a source for
good administration and legitimacy.
With China being unified again under
the Sui, mingqi became ever more
infused with animal iconography and
energized with dynamic lines and
truly resurged as a part of elaborate
funeral processions, frequently
taking the form of officials,
musicians, dancers and every kind of
servants in clay, integrating the
guardian figures and pack animals of
the Northern and Southern
Dynasties, but also incorporating the
many international influences that
were popular during this time of
stability and expansion.
- (CB.2747)
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