Untitled - Heather James Fine Art

Oil Lamp of a StagChina, Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD)Painted PotteryLength: 15 in.2483During the Han Dynasty burial rituals became increasingly complex and hierarchical. Burial mounds formed the shape of hills, a referenceto the belief that the dead made their homes on mountains. Symbolism was also more defined with the ‘Five Elements’ playing anincreasingly important role. Comprised of the four cardinal directions with earth at the centre representing equilibrium, each point wasassociated with different animals, seasons, colours and properties. Funerary wares from the Han period provide a fascinating insightinto the nature of daily life. There are replicas of complete farms with granaries, animal pens and domestic dwellings. Aristocratic tombsalso contained substantial terracotta and wooden figures which attested to the status and power of the deceased, such as sculptures ofwarriors and their chariots, foot soldiers, grain stores and horses.