Title
Figurine
Year/Period
Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)
Region
China
Material
Dimension
Object size: H:30.5 x W:10.5
Accession No.
1997-01944
Collection of
This figurine was part of a group of tomb figurines buried during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). The round face and chubby cheeks of this man are characteristic of sculptures of the Semu (色目literally ‘color-eye’) peoples, a caste of a non-Han people under the Mongol caste system. His knee length garment with a thick silk sash around the waist is also characteristic of that caste. The name ‘Semu’ did not imply that caste members had ‘colored eyes’. It was a shortened phrase of 各色名目 (ge se ming mu) meaning ‘assorted categories’—a reference to the ethnic diversity of Semu people. This caste included Persians, Arabs, Tibetans, Turpan Uyghurs and Assyrians who came to serve the Yuan Khanate.
