Tomb Figure of an Attendant

This tomb figure is thought to have been excavated from one of the pits of a Western Han imperial necropolis discovered in the vicinity of present-day Xi’an, in Shaanxi province, based on comparable finds. The figures were mass-produced and have been found in large numbers at these sites; the torsos, heads, and legs were made in separate molds and then joined together before being fired in the kiln. Their arms were most likely made of wood and attached by pegs through holes at the shoulders, and remnants of fabric in the tomb suggest that they wore silk garments, although both materials have disintegrated with time. The figures were originally painted with natural pigments: light reddish brown for their faces and body and black for their hair and eyebrows.