Title
Figure of tomb guardian
Year/Period
Tang dynasty (618-906 CE)
Region
China
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: H: 43.4,
x W: 11.2,
x D: 10.0 cm
x W: 11.2,
x D: 10.0 cm
Accession No.
1991-00911
Collection of
This figure of a standing tomb guardian is of a warrior. It wears a pointed helmet and appeared to have been holding an object in his right hand, now missing.The pottery figure is 'mingqi' or burial ware that would have been part of a larger group of funerary items interred in the grave of a member of the wealthy elite.The custom was an ancient one. It is thought these wares were necessary for the deceased in the next world. Elaborate groups of burial wares were also a display of wealth and social status.
