Dignitary, probably a civil counsellor. Glazed pottery tomb figure, one of a pair, mounted on a stand. The costume is predominantly brown with details in mottled colors. Head, headdress and hands unglazed.

Tomb retinue, early 8th century

Unknown artist, expand_more
On View in Gallery 208expand_more

This set of ten figurines was excavated intact in 1948 from an imperial tomb at Anjiakou in Henan province, near Luoyang, the site of the “eastern capital” during the Tang dynasty. The retinue comprises five pairs of figures: lokapalas, guardian warriors of Indian Buddhist origin often shown (as here) standing on bulls; earth deities, composite creatures with feline bodies, grotesque heads, flaring wings, and flamelike crests; civil officials; camels; and two exceptionally fine horses. The drip-glaze decoration was applied by a traditional Tang technique called sancai (three color). The retinue is remarkable for its large size, fine modeling, lavish use of rare blue glaze, and the fact that it is apparently one of only two complete excavated tomb sets in Western collections.

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Details
Title
Tomb retinue
Role
Artist
Accession Number
49.1.1
Curator Approved

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Dignitary, probably a civil counsellor. Glazed pottery tomb figure, one of a pair, mounted on a stand. The costume is predominantly brown with details in mottled colors. Head, headdress and hands unglazed.