Tomb Guardian Figure

This tomb figure provided protection and service to the deceased and replaced the more ancient practice (which ended in the fourth century BC) of sacrificing live servants to accompany nobles to the afterlife. This work is a mingqi, or spirit vessel, which is the sculptural embodiment of a warrior. The ancient Chinese believed that each person had two souls, the po and the hun. At death, the hun went to paradise and the po went to the underworld. The tomb guardian protected the po from evil in the underworld—if unprotected, the Chinese believed that the po would be angry and return to haunt descendents. Tang dynasty tombs not only contained figures of warriors, but also servants, musicians, and horses—all to serve particular functions for the deceased in the afterlife. Wearing a leather breastplate of armor, a long tunic, and a leather helmet, the figure has an aggressive stance, stylized depictions of animals on the body, and the suggestion that it once held a spear in its hands. Together these features seem to indicate fierce protection. It is also interesting to note the facial features on this object that may indicate non-Chinese ethnicity. During this time period, the Silk Road trade routes connected a variety of cultures from North Africa, to the Mediterranean, Europe, and Central Asia. This tomb guardian figure suggests it might represent a Central Asian or nomadic soldier.