History and Literature

The figurine group of "one hundred play" performers

: Situated on Xianggang Mountain to the west of Yuexiushan Park in Guangzhou, the Nanyue King's...

: The Yangjiawan terracotta army near the Changling Mausoleum of Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu of the Han...

: Early in the 8th century B. C., Zhao Shudai went to the Jin State to seek shelter.

Unearthed from a Han tomb in Shaogou of Luoyang, Henan Province, the figurines range from 5.1 to 14.5 cm in height. All are handmade gray-clay pottery. The sculpture was originally painted with red, black and white colors, but they have nearly faded away. The nine figurines formed a fantastic "one hundred play" (an archaic term for "Chinese acrobat") performing scene.

Pottery Figurines of the Han Dynasty

Painted pottery woman figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

Painted pottery woman figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

Gorgeously dressed, this woman figurine has a graceful posture, elegant face and mild expression.
The color-painted breast-feeding mother of the Eastern Han Dynasty

The color-painted breast-feeding mother of the Eastern Han Dynasty

The color-painted breast-feeding mother of the Eastern Han Dynasty
The breast-feeding pottery figurine

The breast-feeding pottery figurine

Unearthed from an Eastern Han-Dynasty tomb in Changsha of Hunan Province, this is a red-based pottery figurine featuring a mother breast-feeding her baby.
A stick-holding female figurine

A stick-holding female figurine

A stick-holding female figurine
A mirror-holding female figurine

A mirror-holding female figurine

It was excavated from an Eastern Han-Dynasty tomb in Yongfeng Township of Chengdu, Sichuan.
The color-painted naked female figurine in the Western Han Dynasty

The color-painted naked female figurine in the Western Han Dynasty

It was excavated from a pit in the Yangling Mausoleum in Xi'an.
The cook figurine

The cook figurine

Wearing a tall chef's hat and turning up his sleeves, the smiling cook looks like he is itching to have a go.
The dough-making figurine

The dough-making figurine

The figurine features a servant kneeling on the ground and kneading dough.
The food-serving maid fingurine

The food-serving maid fingurine

This pottery figurine is a maid holding a food tray in her left hand and a wine pot in her right hand to serve the guest.
The color-painted pottery figurine of a guard of honor

The color-painted pottery figurine of a guard of honor

Unearthed from a mid-Western Han-Dynasty tomb in the Beidong Mountain.
The green-glazed liubo-playing pottery figurines

The green-glazed liubo-playing pottery figurines

Liubo is an ancient Chinese board game played with dice. In the game, the players accumulate points or "fishes", with each "fish" earning two chips.
The gray pottery figurine of a fence sitter

The gray pottery figurine of a fence sitter

Unearthed from Xinzhuang Brick Field in Jiyuan City of Henan Province, the sculpture is 11cm long, 7.3cm wide and 11cm tall.
The qin-playing figurine

The qin-playing figurine

The figurine wears a turban on the head, and a long robe with a round-necked shirt underneath.
The zither-playing figurine

The zither-playing figurine

The zither-playing figurine is lifelike, with rich facial expressions.
The se-playing figurine

The se-playing figurine

Wearing a flat-topped turban, a round-necked shirt and a right-lapelled robe with broad sleeves, the figurine is plucking the strings in a half kneeling position.
A red pottery sheng-blowing figurine of the Eastern Han Dynasty

A red pottery sheng-blowing figurine of the Eastern Han Dynasty

A red pottery sheng-blowing figurine of the Eastern Han Dynasty
The color-painted music playing figurines

The color-painted music playing figurines

These are the color-painted yu-blowing and se-playing figurines unearthed from Tomb No. 1 of the Mawangdui Site in Changsha.
The red-glazed pottery figurine group of musicians and dancers

The red-glazed pottery figurine group of musicians and dancers

The musicians and dancers featured in this figurine group are lifelike, perfectly formed and in right proportion.
The dancing figurine

The dancing figurine

This pottery figurine captured the moment when the man was joyfully dancing.
The exaggerated dancing figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

The exaggerated dancing figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

This is a color-painted one-arm figurine of the Han Dynasty.
The musician figurines of the early Eastern Han Dynasty

The musician figurines of the early Eastern Han Dynasty

The figurine group features a total of six musicians, including two dancers - a man and a woman, and four accompanists.
The narrating and singing figurine

The narrating and singing figurine

The figurine is holding a mallet in the right hand, just about to beat the drum held in the right arm.
The narrating and singing figurine unearthed in Songjialin, Pixian County

The narrating and singing figurine unearthed in Songjialin, Pixian County

It was unearthed from an Eastern Han tomb in Songjialin of Pixian County in Sichuan.
The contortionist figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

The contortionist figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

The striking feature of the figurine is the imbalance of his body.
The hand-standing acrobat figurine

The hand-standing acrobat figurine

This sculpture was discovered among some entertaining figurines of the Han Dynasty.
The two hand-standing figurines on a pottery vessel

The two hand-standing figurines on a pottery vessel

On a three-legged pottery vessel, two acrobats are holding the rim with both hands, lifting up the arched body, with the head facing down.
Three hand-standing acrobat figurines

Three hand-standing acrobat figurines

Unearthed in Qilihe of Luoyang, Henan Province, the three acrobat figurines are hand-standing on a round jar.
The acrobat figurines on a toilet case

The acrobat figurines on a toilet case

This type of Han-Dynasty toilet case with two hand-standing acrobat figurines is quite rare.
The comedian figurine

The comedian figurine

There were two types of entertainers in ancient times - music performers and comedians.
The juggler figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

The juggler figurine of the Western Han Dynasty

This juggler figurine has a cone-shaped head, a long nose and a wide open mouth.
The color-painted pottery figurines of musicians and acrobats of the Western Han Dynasty

The color-painted pottery figurines of musicians and acrobats of the Western Han Dynasty

This pottery sculpture was excavated from the Han Dynasty Tomb No. 11 in the south of Wuying Mountain on the northern suburbs of Jinan, Shandong.