Page 18 - catalog 2014
P. 18
THE PAMPLIN COLLECTION: CHINESE
The soldiers here are on warhorses.
The horses and the riders are ready
for battle, and the animals show us how horses would have been adorned before a battle. The horses are depicted as nearly celestial, with oversized chests and very developed bodies atop strong legs that could have carried them safely into and out of battle.
Ceremonial bronze offering dish or censer is Zhou Dynasty, 1046 –256 BCE. This dish was made during the time when humans and animals were sacri ced and placed in tombs, with offering items such as this bronze. Stylized demon faces on the handles provide extra security for the deceased. Bronze sword, made ca. 300 BCE. Looking closely at the handle/hilt, it is possible to see the remains of the original fabric wrapping. This item would have been used in battle and then placed in the tomb with the deceased, for use in the afterlife.
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