In the mid and late Western Han, the economy recovered and began to prosper. The change was readily reflected in the tomb figurines. The aristocrats took figurines of dancers, singers, bands and even acrobatic troupes to their tombs. In addition, farming human figurines and domestic animals were also found.The following Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 A.D.) brought the luxury to another height. The tombs were larger with more funeral objects. Chengdu is one of the most leisurely free cities in today’s China, boasting of ubiquitous teahouses dotting almost every street. But 2,000 years ago in Eastern Han, the grass-root culture of the city was no inferior to today.
This is a figurine of a singer unearthed in Tianhuishan of Chengdu. Some 55 centimeters high, the shirtless singer, beating a drum in his left arm, was so happy in his performance that he unconsciously raised his right leg. The craftsmen didn’t follow the beaten track of realistic presentation; instead, they used exaggerations to highlight the most unique features of people. Such figurines can be found in tombs of the Eastern Han Dynasty in other places.
Women Figurines
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In Mawangdui Han Tomb, several lady figurines in silk clothes were uncovered. They were servants to an aristocratic lady Xinzhui, whose body has been so well-preserved over 2,000 years that researchers were able to perform an autopsy on her body.
Among those wooden figurines, one was particularly charming. With delicate makeup, the lady figurine was wearing a smile similar to Mona Lisa. Did the emperors have such beautiful maids in his palace?
In the caves near Emperor Liu Qi’s mausoleum, some special figurines were discovered. Among them, two naked pottery figurines were without scrotums. They were probably the earliest image of the palace eunuchs. Eunuchs and court ladies were responsible for the daily life of emperors in ancient China.
In our imagination, the palace life must be extravagant. But burial figurines have proved that this might not be true. The concept of richness was quite different from today’s. The 92-meter-long No. 13 cave is the emperor’s storehouse in the afterlife. His most prized possessions were 2,000 animal pottery figurines, including 231 goats, 33 sheep, 456 dogs and pig, and roosters and hens.
Judging from the figurines, the court ladies, submissive and pretty, wore simple clothes without flamboyant decorations. Their long hair was combed at the back and coiled up at the end. Without any jewelry, the ladies wore long and loose skirts which had a waistline, showcasing their curvaceous figures.
Figurines of Honor Guards
This bronze figurine captures a dream-like moment. A horse is running so fast that its hoof steps on a flying bird. In great shock, the fleeing bird turns its head to see what has happened.
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The figurine came from a tomb in Wuwei, Gansu province about 2000 kilometers away from Beijing. In 1969, local villagers discovered this tomb when digging bomb shelters. More than 200 pieces of gold, silver, jade, pottery, and bronze wares were excavated. The most eye-catching were a procession of 99 bronze honor guards, horses and carts. They were made with such true-to-life craftsmanship that some of the rear doors of the carriage can even open. Though the occupant of the tomb remains unknown, the procession shows the man was by no means ordinary.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
