The Ming Dynasty played host to some of China’s most renowned artistic achievements. The culture’s artistic explosion can be in part explained by the Ming dynasty’s economic success. Statuettes, such as these beautiful examples, would have been displayed amongst the processional group within a tomb, most likely before a sedan chair or palanquin and before the musician figures. They would have served a ceremonial purpose – to announce the arrival of the tomb occupant. The vivid blue and dark yellow colours on these figures are reminiscent of ‘Fahua ware’ figurines and pottery. Fahua ware refers to a colour palette used for decoration, which includes deep blue, turquoise, purple, yellow, and green.
To discover more about Chinese terracotta statuettes, please visit our relevant blog post: Terracotta Tomb Attendants
