Ancient Chinese, Han dynasty Terracotta TL Tested – Large Chinese Han Dynasty Terracotta Standing Attendant – Mingqi Funerary Figure – Circa - 58 cm (No reserve price)

A Sculpture Designed for Eternity

This remarkable male terracotta figure belongs to a funerary tradition developed during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 9), a major period in the history of Chinese civilisation.

Known as mingqi (明器), these sculptures were intended to accompany high-ranking individuals in the afterlife, symbolically recreating their entourage, servants and military protection.

Discoveries made in the imperial complex of Yangling, the mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi (157–141 BC), have revealed thousands of comparable figures arranged in vast underground pits surrounding the tombs.

These figures formed a miniature court, intended to perpetuate the functions and privileges of the world of the living for eternity.

An Ingenious Construction: Articulated Wooden Arms

One of the most fascinating features of this type of sculpture lies in its method of construction.

Unlike a traditional monolithic sculpture, the body was modelled in terracotta, while the arms were made separately from wood and then inserted into openings prepared at shoulder level.

These arms could be articulated, allowing the figures to be given more natural poses.

Originally, the figures were also dressed in miniature garments, particularly silk or other textiles, sometimes complemented by armour and accessories.

After nearly two millennia underground, organic materials — including wood and textiles — generally decomposed as a result of time and subterranean conditions.

This explains why figures discovered today frequently appear nude and without their arms, with the attachment openings still visible at the shoulders.

On the present example, these openings bear witness to this characteristic assembly technique.

This is therefore not simply an unfinished sculpture, but an object originally made from several materials, of which only the terracotta element has survived.

A Parallel with Museum Collections

This category of sculpture is represented in particular in the collections of the Cernuschi Museum in Paris and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, both of which preserve male Han funerary figures displaying the same construction principles.

The archaeological discoveries at Yangling also provide exceptional evidence of the funerary context in which these figures were used.

These comparisons are typological and historical; they do not constitute a precise archaeological provenance attribution for the present example.

Condition

Figure preserved without its original arms, which were probably made of wood according to the customary technique for this type of sculpture.

The two attachment openings are visible at shoulder level.

The disappearance of the wooden elements and clothing is a phenomenon frequently observed in Han funerary figures.

The surface displays wear, deposits, irregularities and signs of age visible in the photographs.

Custom-Made Stand Included

The sculpture is presented on a modern custom-made metal stand. This stand is sold with the sculpture and is included in the sale.

Thermoluminescence Testing

The accompanying thermoluminescence (TL) test report is included in the sale.