唐三彩胡俑的时空演变探微

Temporal and Spatial Evolution of the Tri-color Glazed Foreigner Figurines of the Tang Dynasty

唐三彩是唐代重要的陶瓷手工艺品,作为陪葬品在唐墓中被大量发现。其中,很多三彩人俑都以胡人为形象。从时间上看,这些三彩胡俑最早出现于武周时期,中宗时数量剧增,玄宗时期制作工艺渐臻成熟,安史之乱以后则逐渐减少直至消失;从空间上看,三彩胡俑在以长安、洛阳为中心的两京地区发现最多,其他北方地区也有少量分布。南方地区发现的主要是中晚唐时期的三彩胡俑。三彩胡俑时空分布的演变,为认识唐代区域经济文化变迁及域外文化传播提供了生动的历史见证与线索。

Tri-color glazed pottery(sancai ceramics)of the Tang Dynasty is an important handicraft in Tang Dynasty,which was found in a large number as burial objects in tombs of Tang Dynasty.Among them,many Tri-color glazed gurines were made in the image of foreigners.The creation of the Tri-color glazed foreigner gurines can be roughly divided into four stages,and there are different characteristics and causes with each phase of development and evolution:In the rst phase,the tri-color glazed foreigner gurines rst appeared in the Wu-Zhou period(690-705 A.D.),which was closely related to the increase of the number of foreigners in Chang’an and Luoyang.Some of them became of cials for their military merits,while some others were foreign merchants who came to pursue pro ts,yet the majority of the foreigners were servants.Because of their low social status and grotesque appearances,foreigners were often sidelined by the natives,which provided a vivid and realistic theme for the creation of the tri-color glazed foreigner gurines.In the second phase,the number of the gurines increased dramatically in Zhongzong period of Tang Dynasty.Types of the tri-color glazed foreigner gurines increased as diversi cation grew in the identity and occupation of foreigners in the Tang Dynasty,therefore a small climax emerged in the creation of tri-color glazed foreigner gurines.Although at this time the custom of burying tri-color glazed foreigner gurines as funerary objects had spread to other areas outside Chang’an and Luoyang,most of the tomb owners were of cials who chose to bury the tri-color glazed foreigner gurines to show off their own social status,which also indicates that tri-color glazed foreigner gurines were standard-equipped in the tombs of bureaucrats and nobles;In the third phase,the workmanship gradually matured in Xuanzong period of Tang Dynasty.The open social environment of the prosperous Tang Dynasty attracted a large number of foreigners,and the abundance of materials contributed to the expression of exaggeration,boldness and integration of Chinese and foreign elements.With the prevalence of luxurious funerals and the concept of"honoring the dead as the living",people of the Tang Dynasty spared no expense in burials;technical innovations further promoted the diversi ed artistic expression of the tri-color glazed foreigner gurines;In the fourth phase,after the An-Shi Rebellion,tri-color glazed foreigner gurines gradually tapered off and disappeared.Due to the outbreak of An-Shi Rebellion which led to social unrest,craftsmen were unable and in no mood to create,and the hatred of foreigners aggravated the decline of this art.As the southern region was not directly impacted by the turmoil,tri-color glazed foreigner gurines in this area seemed to have developed to a certain extent,whereas it also went on the road to decline.In addition,in the middle and late Tang Dynasty,as porcelain kilns in the South sprang up successively,porcelain gradually replaced tri-color glazed pottery as funerary objects for its exquisiteness,practicality and lower cost.The evolution of spatial and temporal distribution of the tri-color glazed foreigner gurines provides a vivid historical witness and clue for the study of regional transitions economically and culturally and the spread of foreign cultures in the Tang Dynasty.