Art Institute of Chicago

Immortals Riding Dragons: Section of a Tomb Pediment

China; probably from Henan province

Date

Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), 1st century

Medium

Gray earthenware with traces of slip and polychrome pigments

Culture

China

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

These triangular sculptures originally fit under the pitched roof of a burial chamber constructed of clay bricks. The position of similar panels discovered intact suggests that they originally formed two ends of a pediment that divided a chamber in half. The panels are carved and painted to depict winged figures mounted on dragons striding over hills or waves. In Han mythology, such beings are described as immortals (xian). Having achieved eternal life, these immortals were endowed with the power to fly and roamed freely about the universe. The depiction of these remarkable beings in tombs reflects a widespread belief that the soul of the deceased could leave its earth-bound existence, ascend to heaven, and become an immortal. The ascent of the soul to the realm of the immortals is a major theme in Han art.

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