Figurine · Han
Han pottery tomb figure
206 BCE–220 CE, Imperial China
Han tombs were stocked with mingqi, spirit goods that provided the dead with attendants, livestock, granaries, wells and watchtowers in clay. Western Han figures from Xi'an and Xuzhou are stiff and often naked, once dressed in silk with wooden arms; Eastern Han figures from Sichuan are lively storytellers and farmers. They are abundant on the market and among the most affordable Chinese sculpture, although any piece sold since 2009 is subject to US import restrictions under the China MOU.
| Object | Figurine |
|---|---|
| Dates | 206 BCE–220 CE |
| Period | Han |
| Cultures | Imperial China |
| Regions | East Asia |
Diagnostic traits
A moulded grey or red earthenware figure of a servant, soldier, dancer, animal or model building, 100–600 mm tall, with a thin white slip and traces of cold-painted red, black and white pigment.
Identification
Han figures are unglazed with cold pigment, unlike the lead-glazed green wares of the same period and the sancai of the Tang; Tang figures are taller, better modelled and often glazed. Warring States and Qin figures are rarer and Qin figures are life-sized. Northern Wei figures have elongated faces and pointed hoods.
Reproductions and fakes
Reproductions are made in Henan and Shaanxi from moulds of genuine pieces and are aged with burial dirt and paint; thermoluminescence testing is the standard check, and genuine pieces show root marks, worn pigment and a soft, earthy fired surface rather than a hard smooth one. Assembled composites of genuine fragments are common.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Han pottery tomb figure" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/han-pottery-tomb-figure. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-han-pottery-tomb-figure,
title = {Han pottery tomb figure},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/han-pottery-tomb-figure}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.