Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Two Armored Warriors
Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
These figures were among 363 terracotta warriors excavated at Yangling, the mausoleum complex of Emperor Jing (r. 157–141 B.C.). They presumably represent infantrymen. Small holes at their shoulders suggest that they once had movable wood arms pegged to their bodies, while traces of textiles in the ground where they were found indicate that they were once clad in cloth robes. Their armors, originally made of wood or leather, have long perished. While their faces are strikingly naturalistic, their torsos and limbs are highly stylized, conforming to a method deeply rooted in traditional Chinese figural art.
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