The Tang Dynasty: Treasures from the Tomb
The week Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene explore the remarkable ceramics of the Tang Dynasty, one of China's greatest periods of artistic innovation. They venture down into the depths of their magnificent tombs and discover the wonders of their funerary wares, ceramics creations that capture life in the Imperial Court from dancers, polo players, concubines, warriors and magnificent horses. These treasures open a window into a golden period of Chinese history but also show how the Tang potters transformed the art of clay and influenced ceramic traditions around the world.
FEATURED ARTWORKS IN THIS EPISODE: Emperor Li Yuan, 618-626, unknown, Public Domain Excerpt from the hand scroll Viewing the Pass List, c. 1540 by Qiu Ying Tang Court Playing Polo, 706AD, Public Domain Cosmetics Box, 8th Century, The Met Collection, Public Domain Figure of a Horse, 700-750, The British Museum, Public Domain Amphora, Late 7th Century, The Met Collection, Public Domain Covered Jar, 8th century, The Met Collection, Public Domain Set of Ten Entertainers and Two Dancers, 618-907, Miho Museum, Public Domain Camel and Rider, 701-750, Art Institute of Chicago, Public Domain Horse and Rider, early 8th Century, The Met Collection, Public Domain Camel with Musicians, 723, National Museum of China, Public Domain Horse with Lead Glaze, 728, The British Museum, Public Domain Seated Court Lady, 8th Century, the Met Collection, Public Domain Female Attendant, Mid 7th Century, The Met Collection, Public Domain Female Attendant, 7th-8th Century, The Met Collection, Public Domain Seated girl holding Mirror, first half 8th Century, Art Institute Chicago, Public Domain Polo Player, ca. 618-907, Public Domain Young Female Polo Player, early 8th Century, Musée Guimet Female Polo Player, c. 750, Musée Guimet
Professor Paul Greenhalgh is a specialist on the art and design of the Modern period. He has written widely on Art Nouveau and curated several exhibitions including the major survey Art Nouveau 1890-1914, which toured internationally (2000-01). His books include Ephemeral Vistas (1988), Modernism in Design (1990), Art Nouveau 1890–1914 (2000), The Modern Ideal (2005), Fair World (2011), L’Art Nouveau: La Revolution Decorative (2013), Ceramic Art and Civilisation (2021) and Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of Youth (2022). He has held positions as Head of Research at the V&A Museum, London; President and Director at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Director of the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich; and Inaugural Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, London. He was born and raised in Bolton, and is a proud Lancastrian.
Stephanie Rozene is a ceramic artist, Professor of Art, and the Ceramics Program Coordinator at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York she has been teaching, writing and making art since 2004. At Hartwick she's been honored with the Wandersee Scholar in Residence award twice, along with the Teacher Scholar Award. Stephanie's research uses historical ornament and porcelain as a visual language to critique contemporary political rhetoric, and she also explores the history of clay as a cooking tool. Her work has been shown extensively both nationally and internationally. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics and is the Vice President of the board of trustees for the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine, and was educated at NSCAD University in Nova Scotia, Canada and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
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