唐 彩繪三彩陶鎭墓武士俑|Tomb guardian
Unknown Artist
ca. late 7th–first half of the 8th century
Medium
Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze and pigment
Dimensions
H. 16 3/8 in. (41.6 cm)
Classification
Tomb Pottery
Culture & Period
China · Tang dynasty (618–907)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Stanley Herzman, in memory of Adele Herzman, 1991
Accession Number
1991.253.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking Tomb Guardian, a painted earthenware warrior figurine from China's Tang dynasty (ca. 7th–first of the 8th), stands as a vivid testament to one of history's most prosperous eras. Crafted during the Tang's cosmopolitan golden age, when silk roads connected China to distant lands, these tomb pottery figures were buried with the elite to serve and protect in the afterlife. At 16⅜ inches tall, this muscular sentinel, clad in armor and ready for duty, embodies the dynasty's bold realism and love of grandeur. The artwork's medium—earthenware with sancai (three-color) glaze and pigment—...