Impressive terracotta warrior representing a banner bearer gripping a wooden staff with his hands (dematerialized through the ages); his gaze is serene and attentive. This beautiful figure has remains of the original polychrome painting over the stucco.
This piece is accompanied by a the following documents:
– Thermoluminescence Test from Ralph Kotalla NE: 16K200105 (Worldwide Oldest Private Laboratory Specialized for Genuine Analyses) in Germany.
– Certificate of Expertise by Jean-Yves Nathan – Specialist in Asian Arts for the
– Certificate of Authenticity
The Han dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China (206 BC–220 AD), preceded by the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC).
Spanning over four centuries, the Han period is considered a Golden Age in Chinese history. To this day, China’s majority ethnic group refers to themselves as the “Han people”.
The emperor was at the pinnacle of Han society. He presided over the Han government but shared power with both the nobility and appointed ministers who came largely from the scholarly gentry class.
Around the turn of the millennium, Han tomb architectural styles morphed from pits into multi-chambered underground dwellings, often with elaborate carvings and wall paintings. Many shrines in turn were covered with low-relief carvings depicting paradises and stories underscoring Confucian virtues like filial piety and loyalty.
The shrines and spirit paths became an important way for the living to proclaim the deceased family member’s and their own commitment to Confucian values.
Ultimately, funerary objects such as mingqi worked in concert with other funerary objects, tomb architecture, shrines, and spirit-road sculptures to achieve a goal that exceeded the well-being of the family.
According to Confucian doctrine, when every person performed their prescribed social role to perfection, the cosmos would achieve harmony. By ensuring the well-being of the dead, the living promoted accord in the celestial realm and in their own terrestrial existence.
