China an important ancient limestone figure of an Entertainer for the after life, Han dynasty 206BC-220AD

a strongly conceived and robust carving with incised well formed head , hands holding tambourines, and crossed legs sit a top a drum all mounted on a square block form, the entirety hand carved in a light gray lime stone with weathering to the surface from burial appropriate to its great age.

Formerly exhibited “Asia Week” New York City, Fuller Building, Neuhof Gallery, 2005. Originally found in the vicinity of Luoyang City, Henan Province, China. Private New England collection.

Early Chinese human figures carved in small scale in stone for tomb burial or display are rare. During early Chinese periods tens of thousands of pottery models were significantly easier and less costly to manufacture in pottery than stone. Stone representations like this were infrequently crafted for tomb burial and mausoleums through out the empire. The goods left in the tombs were made to accompany the dead and provide them—symbolically yet realistically—with some of the pleasures that the people had enjoyed in life.

The Han dynasty, considered to be one of China’s longest and most powerful dynasties, began in 206 BCE when Liu Bang became emperor. He established a strong centralized bureaucracy which served as a model for China’s imperial rule until the early twentieth century. The favored religion of the Han dynasty was Confucianism as it promoted a social and political framework for a centralized government with an emphasis on loyalty to the emperor.

Dimension: 20 inches tall and 8 inches wide