Object Description
A rectangular funerary stone slab dating from the Han Dynasty. The frontal decoration is divided into two registers and achieved through a combination of carving and painting, which permit a look at the fine art of Han stone carving. The pictorial programme brings together auspicious animals and Buddhist iconography to signal the heavenly domain and meet the symbolic needs of the deceased. To the top, three scenes are presented within their own frames, displaying typical naturalistic representations seen since the Eastern Han Dynasty. The lateral frames show a horse and a bull, stylistically portrayed in a coastal landscape; whilst, the central scene features a stylised stag, with its head turned to the right. The animal’s body is richly decorated by crescent shapes, indicating its bristling mane. Behind it, waves, mountains and foliage form a suggestive landscape. A florid frame composes the lower register, a common motif in Buddhist art derived from the Indian chaitya arch. The reverse remains unworked.
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Date: 206 BC – AD 220
Period: Han Dynasty