Craft:Chinese traditional handicraft with thousands of years history

Origin:Luoyang

Tang San Cai, also called Tricolor Glazed Pottery and a gem of ancient Chinese art, is a kind of handmade glazed ware of exquisite craftsmanship created in the Northern and Southern Dynasty (386-589) about 1,400 years ago. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the production of Tang San Cai reached its peak, which is part of the reason the pottery got the name of Tang San Cai.

Luoyang, named the eastern capital in ancient times, in Henan Province was the home of Tang San Cai, and most of unearthed Tang San Cai was found in Luoyang.

Tang San Cai is a polychrome handicraft with yellow, green, and white as its major tones. It is fired with lead glaze and presents a harmonious complex of varied colors, deep and light. The process is complicated: first, bake the ready mode in kilns until the temperature reaches 1,100oC, then take it out and apply glaze on it; bake it again in kilns at a temperature of about 900隆茫C.

Tang San Cai items that have been unearthed include horses, humans, and even pillows, and camels, of which the pottery camel is one of the best. Its head rises high, as if telling stories about merchant caravans along the Silk Road in the remote past and the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

Being the gem of ancient Chinese art, Tang San Cai absorbed the advantages of Chinese painting, sculpture and stone carving. It features fleshy figures, regular and exquisite technics, compact carving traces, and smooth lines, indicating the high-level of the craft reached in the Tang Dynasty. Tang San Cai is primaryly divided into pottery tomb-figures and daily commodities.

After the founding of new China, specialized institutions have been set up to study the technics of making Tang San Cai, which has boosted the development of the craft.

Artistic & Historical Background:   Listen to it

The artwork is a Tang Dynasty tri-colored elephant foot incense burner, which showcases the craftsmanship and artistic style of the Tang Dynasty.

The tri-colored glazed pottery was a unique form of ancient Chinese ceramics, famous for its bright colors and exquisite patterns.

This elephant foot incense burner uses the production techniques of tri-colored glazed pottery, vividly depicting the image of an elephant, demonstrating the superb skills of Tang Dynasty artists.

In this work, we can see an elephant standing on a blue dome, surrounded by golden decorations.

This design not only reflects the reverence for nature in the Tang Dynasty but also demonstrates people's yearning for a better life at that time.

In addition, this incense burner also has practical value, as it can be used to burn incense, providing people with fresh air and a peaceful environment.

From a historical perspective, this elephant foot incense burner reflects the political, economic, and cultural conditions of Tang Dynasty society.

During that period, China was experiencing a prosperous and flourishing Tang Dynasty, with a strong nation and a peak in cultural arts.

This incense burner, as part of Tang Dynasty art, bears witness to the brilliant achievements of that era.

In summary, this Chinese classical style Tang Dynasty tri-colored elephant foot incense burner is an artistic treasure with rich spiritual and cultural connotations and historical significance.

It not only demonstrates the exquisite skills of Tang Dynasty artists but also reflects the social atmosphere of that time and people's pursuit of a better life.

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