Kneeling Female Figure
Chinese
Description
Subject Matter:
A figure of a kneeling female musician, her arms and instrument missing.
Since the Qin dynasty (221 - 206 BCE), ceramic figures have been used to replace human sacrifice in burial practices as mingqi as a way to provide for the deceased. Mingqi could include houses, towers, gates, granaries, livestock pens, chicken coops, wells, cooking stoves, storage vessels, dishes, incense burners, and lamps. Figures could include horses, dogs, anthropomorphic animals and people, such as officials, guardians, servants, and entertainers. By the Han dynasty, they also included representations of common people engaged in the activities that consumed their daily lives, such a cooking. The tombs in southern provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi have revealed a vast array of figures in playful and humorous poses. As grave goods, these mingqi included everything one would need to ensure a comfortable transition into the afterlife. The number of ceramic mingqi items in a tomb could reach numbers of a few to several hundred objects.
Physical Description:
A red earthenware figure of a kneeling woman wearing a long robe, and elaborately dressed hair. Both her arms are slightly raised, with pierced holes in the sleeves where hands should be. It is covered in traces of slip and polychrome pigment, and there is loss to hands.
Usage Rights:
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