Cleveland Museum of Art

Funerary Urn (Hunping)

Date

late 200s CE

Medium

green-glazed stoneware with molded and sculpted decoration

Culture

China, Western Jin dynasty (265–316 CE)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Green-glazed stoneware developed greater variety in the south after the Han dynasty. Large funerary urns known as hunping , or "the urn of the soul," are evidence for its prolific production. This type of urn features multistoried towers populated by human figures, animals, and birds. It was likely associated with the southern funerary tradition of "summons of the soul." The wandering soul of the deceased was summoned to return. The urn with architectural designs (sometimes with grains placed inside) provided a safe place of refuge.

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