A Study On Deer Motif On Silks From The Han To Tang Dynasties

From the Han to Tang dynasties,the Silk Road came into being and reached its peak.During this period,deer motif on silks absorbed and integrated western art on the basis of traditional Chinese style,which made them take on a new appearance.This thesis is based on the existing silks with deer motif.By sorting out the archaeological finds of silks with deer motif systematically from the Han to Tang dynasties and combining the related documents and objects,this thesis studies on the technique of silks with deer motif,the artistic characteristics of deer motif,the culture origins of deer and the culture reflected on deer motif.From the Han to Jin dynasties,the weave technique of the silks with deer motif was the warp-faced compound tabby.The deer on silks were usually small with double wings,and often interspersed with traditional Chinese auspicious motif,such as dragons,tigers and feathered figures in a grid of cloud scrolls.The arrangement of clouds was an overall design which spread across the width of the silks.From the Northern Dynasties to the Sui dynasty,the weave technique began to make a gradual transition from warp-faced compound tabby to weft-faced compound tabby.The deer were smaller and simpler,often appeared with confronted peacocks,lions and other animals from the West in new grids composed of confronted S-curves or overlapping circles.Composition with grid systems which originated from the West became popular.In the Tang dynasty,the deer began to appear as the predominant motif in roundels on samites with a variety of forms,including stags,deer with lingzhi-shaped crown,confronted deer with a blossoming tree or standing on palmettes.The shape of roundels gradually changed from Sassanian pearls to Chinese leafy scrolls and floral medallions.In the later period,the deer were gradually appeared with plants in a scattered spot arrangement.Compared with deer motif on other types of arts,such as gold and silver wares and wall paintings in the same period,this thesis focuses on the culture origins of the predominant deer motif on silks.The popularity of the stags was influenced by the nomadic culture.The deer with lingzhi-shaped crown was a continuation and innovation of the beliefs of immortality and auspiciousness in the Tang dynasty.The form of confronted deer with a blossoming tree was the product of the interaction between Chinese and Western art and technology.The form of confronted deer standing on palmettes were widely spread by Sogdians from Central Asia.Finally,this thesis summarizes both Chinese and Western culture reflected on the deer motif on silks through the historical background and the symbolism of deer in different cultures.The influence of Chinese culture came mainly from Confucianism,Daoism and Buddhism.The influence of Western culture came from the nomadic culture and the culture of Central Asia and West Asia.