Curator

  • Art Institute Chicago
  • Harvard art museum
  • My Exhibition
A work made of earthenware with lead glaze.

Lamp with Human Form

Eastern Han dynasty, 25–220 CE

China

China

This figurative sculpture, whose head balances a cup for oil or wax, probably provided a symbolic beacon for the soul in the perpetual darkness of the tomb. The small figure may relate to ancient burial rites at which the deceased person was represented by a child.

Earthenware with lead glaze

Arts of Asia

Chinese