CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

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Painted lacquer coffin
Height 45 (18 'A), width 184 (72), depth 45 (18 'A)
Middle Warring States Period, c. second half of
fourth century BCE (before 316)
From Baoshan, Jingmen, Hubei Province
Jingzhou Prefecture Museum, Hubei Province
This coffin is the innermost of three nested coffins
from the central chamber of the tomb. 1 A number
of ancient texts indicate that sumptuary laws governed
the number of coffins permitted to each rank
of the aristocracy. Although the accounts are not
consistent, it seems that three coffins were the preserve
of feudal lords or high ministers (qing). However,
the presence of three coffins in this tomb of a
lower-ranking minister (zuoyin) suggests that these
regulations were not strictly observed in Chu. 2
The bottom, sides, and end-panels of the coffin
are each made from single planks, joined by swallowtailed
mortises and tenons; the joints are sealed with
lacquer. Mask-and-ring bronze handles, originally
gilded, are attached to the sides, the end-panels,
and the lid of the coffin. The coffin was originally
wrapped in a textile, but this had largely decomposed
when the tomb was opened. Silk gauze (sha) was
331 | TOMB 2 AT BAOSHAN, JINGMEN