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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Ancient Art / Ancient Chinese, Han dynasty Terracotta Mingqi warrior - 46 cm
CHINA, HAN DYNASTY (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) Important funerary figure of a warrior or guard in polychrome terracotta — Mingqi Interesting and expressive Chinese funerary figure in polychrome terracotta, representing a standing warrior or guard, belonging to the sculptural tradition developed during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.). The figure appears erect and frontal, dressed in a long flowing tunic over trousers, preserving substantial traces of its old pictorial decoration in dark tones, cream and red. Especially noteworthy is the diagonal red band crossing the torso. The right arm is bent and raised, with the hand clenched, while the left arm descends along the body. This arrangement indicates that the figure would originally have held weapons, staffs, or other attributes made separately, currently lost, a common circumstance in this type of funerary sculptures. The face, conceived in a deliberately schematic yet expressive way, features soberly modeled eyes, nose, and mouth, topped with a characteristic headdress. These figures, known as mingqi, were part of the extraordinary funerary universe of Han China. They were deposited in the tombs of people of rank to symbolically reproduce in the Beyond the entourage, the servants, and the elements of daily life enjoyed by the deceased. Han funerary sculpture represents one of the great evolutions of ancient Chinese art after the famous Qin Terracotta Army: in contrast to the monumental scale of that ensemble, Han artists developed numerous figures of guards, soldiers, servants, musicians, animals, and domestic scenes intended to populate genuine underground palaces. Particularly attractive is the partial preservation of the original polychromy applied in cold, extremely vulnerable after approximately two thousand years of burial. Material: terracotta with traces of polychromy and engobes. Dimensions: 46 × 16 × 10 cm approx. Condition: archaeological state. Shows wear and losses of polychromy, surface deposits and concretions, cracks and fissures, highlighting a wide transverse crack at chest and shoulder height, as well as ancient joints/repairs. The attributes originally held by the hands have been lost. See photographic documentation in detail. A piece of great presence and considerable size, representative of one of the fundamental chapters of the funerary sculpture of ancient China.
Estimate:£2,038.63
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Estimate:
£2,038.63
OCT 17 | 10:00 PM
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