Yang Ling Mingqi Attendant

This ceramic figure in a standing position is male attendant mingqi from the Yangling tomb of Emperor Jing, the sixth emperor of the Han dynasty (151-141 B.C.) Depicting the pleasures of daily life, mingqi figures were offerings to ensure special treatment in the afterlife. Notable for its small scale, this attendant represents a shift in burial mingqi from towering, life-size protectors to miniature representations of the real human world. Save for his serene expression, the attendant was sculpted with minimal ornamentation for the sake of visual simplicity and harmony. Traces of the original orange pigmentation remain on the attendant's body, applied to imitate the color of skin. Supported by a custom steel stand, the attendant lives on as a sculptural object and a captivating relic from the past.