Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The Barlow Collection

A select catalogue of the Barlow collection of Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades by the University of Sussex (published Sussex, 2006).

The Barlow Collection by the University of Sussex

Publications online: 456 objects

Reference URL

Actions

Send e-mail

Contact us about this object

Send e-mail

Send to a friend

Figure of a male attendant

  • loan
  • Literature notes

    A very similar figure was discovered in a storage pit at the mausoleum of Emperor Han Wendi (r.180-157 BC), which is associated with his wife, Empress Dou, who died in 135 BC. It is now preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum.

    The figure is solidly modelled and very heavy. It depicts a male attendant, standing very straight, his hands cupped as if grasping a staff or sword, placed one above the other. The face has even features, the hair is combed back and tied in a knot. He is wearing a coat with long, wide sleeves, crossed in front and reaching down over the knees, over an undergarment with padded collar and bulging trousers, the shoes being simply indicated. The sleeves are pushed back to reveal the hands, forming thick folds. The grey pottery body is covered with a white dressing, with few traces of a flesh-coloured pigment remaining on the face.
  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaChina Shaanxi province (place of creation)
    Date
    2nd century BC (200 - 101 BC)
    Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 9)
    Material and technique
    earthenware, moulded and luted together, painted white, and with traces of pigment
    Dimensions
    55 x 15 x 11.2 cm (height x width x depth)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Lent by the Sir Alan Barlow Collection Trust.
    Accession no.
    LI1301.423
  • Further reading

    University of Sussex, and Arts and Humanities Research Council, The Barlow Collection, supervised by Regina Krahl, Maurice Howard, and Aiden Leeves (Sussex: University of Sussex, 2006), no. S28

Glossary (2)

earthenware, luted

  • earthenware

    Ceramic material made of clay which is fired to a temperature of c.1000-1200⁰c. The resulting ceramic is non-vitreous and varies in colour from dark red to yellow.

  • luted

    The fusion of parts of ceramics using dilute clay slip.

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Publications online

  • The Barlow Collection by the University of Sussex

    The Barlow Collection

    A very similar figure was discovered in a storage pit at the mausoleum of Emperor Han Wendi (r.180-157 BC), which is associated with his wife, Empress Dou, who died in 135 BC. It is now preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum.

    The figure is solidly modelled and very heavy. It depicts a male attendant, standing very straight, his hands cupped as if grasping a staff or sword, placed one above the other. The face has even features, the hair is combed back and tied in a knot. He is wearing a coat with long, wide sleeves, crossed in front and reaching down over the knees, over an undergarment with padded collar and bulging trousers, the shoes being simply indicated. The sleeves are pushed back to reveal the hands, forming thick folds. The grey pottery body is covered with a white dressing, with few traces of a flesh-coloured pigment remaining on the face.
Notice

Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum