Set of six figures. Han Dynasty, China, ca. 206 BC - 220 AD.

Set of six figures. Han Dynasty, China, ca. 206 BC - 220 AD.
Terracotta.
Measurements: between 30 and 18 cm. high.
Attached certificate from the Po Yuen Tong Gallery in Honk Kong.
The Han dynasty ruled China for more than four centuries, during which the political, social and economic structures of China are consolidated, which will lead 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 decorated with cold-applied engobes, mainly black and red.