A Standing Soldier Figures

Eastern Han Dynasty, Shaanxi Province, China, 25–220 CEA group of three painted terracotta standing soldiers created as mingqi funerary guardians during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Dressed in layered military tunics with traces of original polychrome decoration, the figures reflect the ceremonial order and disciplined structure of early imperial Chinese military culture. Their upright postures and raised hands suggest they once carried weapons or insignia now lost to decay. Sculptures of this type were placed within tombs to protect the deceased and symbolize authority and security in the afterlife. Surviving pigments and mineral accretions preserve elements of their original visual richness. Price for each.