Burial Figure

CultureChinese

Date4th century B.C.E.

MediumCarved wood with lacquer and polychrome

DimensionsOverall: 23 × 5 × 3 1/2 inches (58.42 × 12.7 × 8.89 cm)

Credit LineBequest from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Myron S. Falk Jr.

Object number2001.21.2

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionCarved wooden human figure with red and black paint outlining clothing, eyes, mouth, and hair. The slender figure wears a layered robe with full sleeves and geometric designs. Below hair parted at the center, the face is well carved with smiling triangular mouth outlined in red pigment. Some loss has occured to the hand but fabric designs and facial features are quickly identified.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ch'ang-sha Exhibition, Chinese Art Society, New York, 1957.

The Art of Eastern Chou, Chinese Art Society, New York, 1962.

Unearthing China's Past, Museum of Fine Arts, 1973.

Gallery Label

Although servants were still occasionally buried with their masters to serve them in the afterlife, from the fifth century B.C.E. symbolic substitutes were increasingly preferred. In the southern state of Chu, slender figures were carved from wood and often dressed in silk robes. In this case, the robes are painted: the angular patterns at the lower hem and neck represent woven designs, while the scrolling patterns on the body represent embroidery.

Provenance

With Mathias Komor, New York, stock no. R93, by October 5, 1948;

Purchased from Komor by Myron S. Falk, Jr. (1906-1992) and Pauline B. Falk (1910-2000), New York, no. 562, October 5, 1948-2000 [1];

Their bequest to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2001.

NOTES:

[1] A copy of Komor’s receipt is in the Nelson-Atkins curatorial file, and this object is listed in an inventory, on an index card (numbered 48-11), and seen in a photograph (numbered MSF 313), in the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art Archives, FSA.A2002.03, Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, Box 48, folder 4; Box 60; and Box 57, folder 12, respectively. Copies are in the Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

Published References

Nelson-Atkins, Calendar of Events (Kansas City, Missouri: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, June 2002) (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.