Imperial Tombs in Tang China, 618-907 - The politics of paradise

Intellectually and visually stimulating, this important landmark book looks at the religious, political, social and artistic significance of the Imperial tombs of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It traces the evolutionary development of the most elaborately beautiful imperial tombs to examine fundamental issues on death and the afterlife in one of the world's most sophisticated civilizations. Selected tombs are presented in terms of their structure, artistic programs and their purposes. The author sets the tombs in the context of Chinese attitudes towards the afterlife, the politics of mausoleum architecture, and the artistic vocabulary which was becoming the mainstream of Chinese civilization. "This important landmark book examines the religious, political, social and artistic significance of the imperial tombs of the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907). It explores, in detail, the finest recently excavated Chinese tombs of the Tang period, focusing on the architectonic form of these mausolea and the content and aesthetics of their magnificent mural paintings."--Jacket