The Qin Dynasty was short-lived, reigning for only 15 years. The country was thrown into chaos
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| An "acrobatic troupe" of the West Han Dynasty.The figurines were unearthed at Jinan, Shandong Province. | after the dynasty collapsed, with different peasant rebel groups fighting one another for supremacy, from which Liu Bang, leader of the most powerful group, emerged victor and made himself the first emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). The war-ravaged country was so poor that even the emperor himself had no way to have a chariot drawn by four horses of the same color as his status required. Ranking officials, on their part, had to use ox carts instead of horse chariots drawn by less than four horses, to which they would otherwise have been entitled. Given the destitution of the country and the people, it won't be difficult to understand why figurines of the Han Dynasty, though in huge numbers, are much smaller in size.
Terracotta figurines of the Han Dynasty have been unearthed from funerary pits near the tomb of Emperor Jing, the tomb belonging to Queen Dou of Emperor Wen, and the tomb of Emperor Xuan. Several thousand figurines have been excavated from the tomb of Emperor Jing outnumbering those from the other tombs. Archeologists think that
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| A terracotta woman of the West Han Dynasty. It was unearthed from an imperial tomb of the dynasty at Xi' an. | figurines buried to accompany these and other Han emperors and queens outnumber those terracotta figures from the tomb of Emperor Shi Huang. After all, the Han Dynasty ruled China for nearly 400 years, much longer than the Qin.
Terracotta figurines unearthed from the tomb of Emperor Jing are about 60 centimeters tall those from the tomb of Queen Dou 56 centimeters and those from the tomb of Emperor Xuan, 53--57 centimeters, in all cases. Han Dynasty figurines are only one third as tall as those from the tomb of Emperor Shi Huang of the previous dynasty.
Though much smaller in size. Han Dynasty figurines are artistically better. Vivid facial expressions characterize those from the tomb of Emperor Jing. Figurines of maidservants from the tomb of Queen Dou, either standing or sitting, feature delicate lines characteristic of feminine beauty, unlike those from Emperor Shi Huang's tomb, of which most stand in rigid attention.
Also worth mentioning are weapons and tools held by Han dynasty figurine in their hands - spears, halberds, swords, crossbows and arrows, as well saws, adzes and chisels, all featuring excellent workmanship. These are made of either bronze or iron, and are about one third of the size of the real things. One figurine has a copper coin less than one centimeter in diameter. Small as it is, the two Chinese characters indicating its face value are clearly discernible. |
