CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

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earlier face coverings. Liu Sheng was also supplied
with an exceptionally attractive headrest (cat. 130).
Jade shrouds were apparently made almost
exclusively for members of the Liu family, the family
that supplied the rulers of the Han empire. Members
of the Liu family were installed as kings in
small states, primarily on the eastern side of present-day
China. Their large rock-cut tombs, tunneled
far into the sides of small hills, were an
extraordinary innovation. Generally, they consisted
of a long access passage, branching into small and
large chambers, and terminating in the main burial
room. Liu Sheng's had two major chambers: the
front chamber, equipped with tents or canopies and
vessels, may have been intended for feasting and
ceremonial observances. The rear chamber was
lined with stone slabs. At right stood the coffin; in
the center, fine tables and utensils for eating and
drinking; and at left, a preparation area in which
stood stone figures of attendants. Thus, the tomb
held all the necessities for daily and ceremonial life.
While the artifacts suggest an afterlife of feasting
and enjoyment, the jade shroud and the protective
apparatus point to the anticipation of danger as
well. JR
1 Excavated in 1968 (M 1:5188); reported: Zhongguo 1980!},
i : 346-349-
2 Thorp i99ib, 26 - 39.
3 Wei 1935-1936, 7.
4 Wu Hung 199/b, 147 -169.
5 See a Chu kingdom tomb at Shizishan, Xuzhou, Jiangsu
province, reported and illustrated in Shizishan 1998,
4-33, color pi. i.
Gilt bronze headrest inlaid with jade
Height 17.6 (6 7 /s), width 44.1 (i/Ys), depth 8.1 (3'A)
Western Han Dynasty, second century BCE (c. 113)
From the tomb of Liu Sheng at Lingshan,
Mancheng, Hebei Province
Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang
Gilt bronze headrests inlaid with jade appear to
have been standard items in tombs prepared for
members of the Liu family and their close relatives
or associates. Three examples have been well published:
the one exhibited here, 1 a comparable piece
from the tomb of Liu Shengs consort, Dou Wan,
and one from a tomb at Houloushan in Xuzhou.
All three consist of a rectangular framework
with three-dimensional animal heads at the two
ends. The beasts flanking Liu Sheng's headrest have
a piglike yet somewhat reptilian appearance; each
head points sharply upward, with a curling snout,
two bulging eyes, two small ears, and the traces of
some sort of horn or crest scrolling behind the ears.
Small spirals inlaid with jade fragments lie behind
the nostrils and between the lower part of the two
eyes. Eight jade plaques decorate the two long sides
of the headrest, two small plaques make up the two
short sides, and a large and highly complex carved
jade fills the upper surface.
Their diverse style suggests that some of the
jades were made for other purposes and reused to
compose this headrest. The beautifully carved jade
on the upper surface has the appearance of an
Eastern Zhou carving, although it likely dates from
the Han period. Two S-shaped dragons, embellished
with small incised scrolls, confront each other
around a central point and are paired with dragons
facing outward at the two ends; their long, curling
snouts echo those of the beasts that form the ends
of the headrest. The angular form of the dragons
is reminiscent of renderings in bronze, and the
small scrolls and hooks along their bodies suggest
the cloud patterns that developed out of such
motifs. 2 The undulating surface and varied textures
of this jade section complement the fine scrolling
relief of the two upper gilt bronze edges.
393 | ROYAL TOMBS AT LINCSHAN