Standing, Armor-Clad Guardian Warrior Wearing Pointed Boots and Helmet with Protective Neck and Ear Flaps, His Left Hand Holding a Shield Embellished with an Animal Mask, His Right Hand Positioned to Hold a Lance or Spear

Harvard Art Museums

Standing, Armor-Clad Guardian Warrior Wearing Pointed Boots and Helmet with Protective Neck and Ear Flaps, His Left Hand Holding a Shield Embellished with an Animal Mask, His Right Hand Positioned to Hold a Lance or Spear

Date
534 - 577
Medium
Molded, medium gray earthenware with cold-painted pigments over white ground
Culture
Chinese
Department
Department of Asian Art
Institution
Harvard Art Museums

After the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 CE, China entered a long period of disunion in which the north was occupied and at times ruled by ethnic minorities. The custom of producing ceramic tomb sculptures nevertheless carried on throughout this period, reaching its pinnacle in the Tang dynasty (618–907), one of the most peaceful, prosperous, cosmopolitan eras in China’s history. The Tang capital of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi province) attracted numerous foreign traders, pilgrims, and goods, as the famed overland trade route known as the Silk Road terminated in this city. Large sets of ceramic sculptures representing the horses, camels, and foreign merchants that frequented northern China have been recovered from burials. Tang ceramic funerary retinues were especially elaborate, featuring fierce armored guards, proud court attendants, and aristocratic equestrians engaged in leisurely pursuits—all serving to demonstrate the high status of the tomb occupant. Large monster masks such as the one displayed here have been discovered on the lintels of tomb entrances, presumably as a means to ward off evil.

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