As with many ancient peoples, wealthy Chinese imagined the afterlife as a reflection of this one here on earth. They believed that if accompanied in death with the accoutrements and necessities of their daily lives, they could live on enjoying the gracious lifestyles they had led above the ground.
So – in the form of clay or wooden figurines and items made of pottery – imitations of soldiers, servants, dancing girls, singers, and musicians were interred with the corpse. Beside these human figures were placed various other objects like horses, vehicles, cooking utensils, and livestock figures.
During the Han Dynasty (from 200 BC to 220 AD), one of the greatest periods of Chinese history, intellectual, literary, and artistic achievements were encouraged and indeed flourished. Tomb figures, in contrast to those of earlier periods, are lively and vivid. Male and female figures are displayed sitting, standing, singing, playing instruments, smiling, and dancing. They even include figures of cooks, storytellers, and children. They wear all kinds of clothes and all manner of expressions.
The Five Entertainers
The Portland Art Museum on Park Avenue in Portland, Oregon, possesses a charming set of Sichuan funerary figurines from the Eastern Han Dynasty. The grouping is rare in that it was discovered intact. Five beguiling entertainers, created of red earthenware and each about fifteen inches tall, form a complete ensemble. They are designed to recreate a banquet or musical event in the hereafter for the benefit of the dead with whom they were buried. They are unusual that they were found as a complete set.
Irresistible Charm
The group exudes an irresistible charm that transcends its clay state. Each of the five figures possesses a similar sweet, dimpled smile. They kneel, sit, and dance while leaning in toward one another. Their softened features, especially the eyes, imply that originally they were fashioned with veils over their faces. Charm is also evident in the crisply-detailed chrysanthemums in their headdresses.
One girl plucks with slender, delicate fingers a long, boxy, stringed instrument called a qin. A dancer steps lightly over a round object on the ground. A singer, kneeling on the ground, holds a hand to her ear. Another girl plays some type of round percussion instrument. And the fifth figure, kneeling and wearing a plain round hat, plays a flute-shaped wind instrument.
The charming group of musicians show a shared sense of delight in their common activity of entertaining visitors at a long-ago banquet.
Source:
- Portland Art Museum
