Model of a Multistory House
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Comprising thirty-one detachable parts, this architectural model consists of a seven-story main building and a four-story auxiliary building, with a sky bridge connecting the two. A figure carrying a sack of crops enters from the left, while a recumbent watchdog guards the storage complex to the right of the gate. Designed in a funerary context to emulate a full-scale structure, this model hints at the architectural capabilities of the Eastern Han. Multistory buildings were a considerable feat of engineering, and such models may have been deposited in tombs to symbolize the enduring status and power of the deceased.
Artwork Details
- 东汉 彩绘陶七层连阁式仓楼模型
- Title: Model of a Multistory House
- Period: Eastern Han dynasty (25–220)
- Culture: China
- Medium: Earthenware with pigment
- Dimensions: H. 68 7/8 in. (175 cm); W. 64 in. (162.6 cm); D. 32 in. (81.3 cm)
- Classification: Architectural Models
- Credit Line: Lent by Henan Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art