Wooden Standing Figurine with Painted Designs

Submitted by hn-admin on Thu, 01/17/2019 - 16:35

Western Han Dynasty (206BC—25AD)

Unearthed from Tomb No. 1 at Mawangdui, Changsha, in 1972

Height of the Figurine: 44.3 cm; Width at Shoulders: 9.5 cm

These painted wooden funerary figurines were made in the following way: the human contours of the figures and their clothing were carved from blocks of wood; then white powder was applied, their eyes and brows were painted with black ink, and their lips with vermilion, before finally painting the designs of their clothing with vermilion and black pigments. Their gowns have crossed collars and flaps extending diagonally from left to right, with baggy sleeves and expanding skirts. The gowns are painted with cloud designs, and the hems are painted to imitate black brocade with vermilion flowers. The flap extends to the back, folds up to the left front, and then is tied at the waist with a vermilion belt. The hands of the figurines are folded inside their sleeves. Two of them, probably representing males, have a flattop hairstyle; the other two, with hair buns, are meant to be females. The set of wooden figurines reflects not only the high level of sculpture in the Han Dynasty but also the graceful and delicate artistic style of the south China.

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Altogether 101 wooden standing figurines with painted designs were excavated from Han Tomb No.1 at Mawangdui, with distinctive sizes, expressions, attires and hair styles. Each of these figurines was made of one entire piece of wood. First, the outline of the human shape and attire was carved out. Then white chalk was applied as the base color, and the eyebrows were painted black with ink and the lips red with vermilion. Finally, red and black colors were used to paint out the designs of the attire.

As the substitutes of Xin Zhui’s servants in real life, these dressed figurines fully demonstrate the high artistic level in Han Dynasty, the delicate and refined style of South China, as well as the luxurious life led by Marquis of Dai.