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Guardian warrior
Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420), 4th–5th century
Earthenware with slip colors
H. 12 5/8 in. (32 cm)
Excavated at Shimenkan, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 1955
Nanjing Museum
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In comparison with funerary sculptures found in North China, those from South China are fewer in number and include a narrower range of figures and animals. Excavated from a modest southern tomb in the Nanjing area, this guardian holds a shield in his proper right hand, and may once have had a lance in the left. His whimsical gestures and gentle expression are typical of works produced in South China in the fourth and fifth centuries. The physiognomy, especially the large eyes and prominent nose, helps indicate the figure's role as a terrifying protector, similar to the actively threatening warrior guardians represented in greater numbers in North China.
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