Painted terracotta. China, Western Han dynasty, 2. cent. BC
Highly rare female figurine corresponding to the so-called “stickman†from the area Yangling, grave tumulus of emperor Jingdi (157 – 141) in Xi’an. In its shafts, these pole-shaped human sculptures formed the army and court. The male “stickmen†are consistently found on the art market, however, female figures unalike, are rarer. They were originally clothed; the arms are missing, as they were movable elements made out of wood and decayed over time. The sexual characteristics of this female figure are depicted precisely, the breasts small. The grey terracotta was painted in flesh colour, the hair – here with knots – black. HEIGHT 53,7 CM
From an Austrian private collection
Note: The 7 to 8 meter deep shafts intended for the “armies†were secured with wood-constructions and roofed. From this point onward, the burial site was left unattended and not maintained anymore. Consequently, everything began to rot away, caved in and over millennia completely filled with earth (loess). Today there is a modern museum on site, which exhibits the most significant objects from this 4th Han-emperor’s tomb – among others, also a few “Stickwomenâ€