CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

Excavation photograph of
Pit i, with traces of chariot
remains.
Excavation photograph of
Pit i (right).
dynasty art, but the formal and technical sophistication
of these representations, which effectively
balance realistic depiction and stylization (for
example, in the rectangular form of the mane)
are unprecedented.
Each sculpture is composed of several parts: the
animal's trunk was formed in three sections, each
made of coiled clay strips; the legs, the neck, the
head and the tail (the latter two formed in molds)
were then attached to the trunk, and the entire
sculpture coated with a fine clay slip. Details (the
eyes, the muzzle, striations in the mane) were incised
before firing, after which the horses were
painted in bright colors.
Horses, represented in conjunction with human
figures or individually, had become a staple element
of the tomb mingqi by the Western Han dynasty
(206 BCE-24 CE). During the Tang dynasty (618-
907 CE), the presence of horse figures in tombs
reflected the passion of the aristocracy for these
animals rather than a military function. LK
i Excavated in 1976; reported: Shaanxi 1988)3,1:183 ~ 1 9 2 >
2: figs. 145-153; 158.
386 EARLY IMPERIAL CHINA