Tomb figure
Unknown Artist
Medium
Dark pottery with traces of color
Dimensions
H. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
Classification
Tomb Pottery
Culture & Period
China · Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.12.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite tomb figure, standing just 3 5/8 inches tall, hails from China's Han dynasty (206 B.–A.D. 220), a golden age of innovation and imperial expansion. Crafted from dark pottery with faint traces of original color, it exemplifies the era's tomb pottery tradition—earthenware objects buried with the deceased to ensure comfort and entertainment in the afterlife. Produced via wheel-throwing and low-fired techniques, these unglazed vessels often featured lively scenes of daily life, their subtle pigmentation hinting at once-vibrant polychrome details that have faded over millennia. Depictin...