Warrior

The funeral practice of burying clay warriors in tombs of the ruling class, seen since the Qin, accelerated during the Six Dynasties. Helmets, such as the one seen here, appeared during the third century in the north, as part of the armor on some warrior models. This warrior figure wears the Chinese style loose-sleeved robe, which opens to the right, set off by trousers tied at the knees to allow for mobility, the common costume for warriors that continued to be seen for three centuries in the north. The primitive simplicity of this piece is characteristic of the sixth century (KG 1973.4: pl. 8; KG 1990.7: 604).