Archer; China, Han dynasty, 1st century BC- 2nd century AD.

Archer; China, Han dynasty, 1st century BC- 2nd century AD.
Polychrome terracotta.
Attached thermoluminescence photocopy.
It has slight damage caused by the passage of time.
Measurements: 84 x 40 x 20 cm.
Figure of an archer standing in polychrome terracotta, made to be placed in a tomb. He is standing raising his hands in such a way that it is possible to see that originally he was holding a bow stretched between his hands. It has a severe face with thin eyebrows, thin eyes, wide nose and closed lips, as is usual in the aesthetics of Han statuary.
The Han dynasty ruled China between 206 B.C. and 220 A.D., more than four centuries during which the political, social and economic structures of China were consolidated, leading the country to the most glorious stage of its history. Regarding the art of this time, it is still eminently funerary, although it reflects the very high artistic level that will be reached both in the capitals and in the provinces. These preserved objects provide us with information on the daily life and customs of the time, since the art becomes much more mundane than the bronzes of the Zhou and Shang periods. The structures of the tombs also changed: the Shang tombs were vertical, while the Han tombs were built as subway palaces. They were decorated with reliefs stamped with scenes from the life of the deceased, and a new material was incorporated as an artistic support, lacquer. However, the most famous today is the production of Han ceramics, in terracotta and generally decorated with cold-applied engobes, mainly black and red.