The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China (206 BC–220 AD), and its art is notable for aiming to give form to everyday people and objects. It was a period of significant economic growth, and this facilitated discovery and innovation: technical possibilities in the arts increased as a result, enabling artists to push boundaries. The art of the Han dynasty is largely decorative, a shift away from the functional, ritualistic art of the previous Qin dynasty.
‘Stick man’ statuettes are characterised by their elongated and slender form, and would have originally acted much like dolls, with cloth garments and wooden, detachable arms. Some examples would have portrayed the figure completely nude, with long legs moulded together with the body; other examples show the figure wearing a short tunic, with legs separately moulded in clay.
