Page 387 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

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

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