{"type":"artobject","objectid":23899,"objectnumber":"y1950-76","sortnumber":"1950   76y","displaytitle":"Tomb figure: kneeling musician","department":"Asian Art","classification":"Ceramic","datebegin":500,"dateend":529,"datecomputed":514,"daterange":"A.D. 500-1000","displaydate":"early 6th century","medium":"Gray earthenware with red and white slip paint","dimensions":"h. 12.0 cm., w. 6.9 cm., d. 7.8 cm. (4 3/4 x 2 11/16 x 3 1/16 in.)","dimensionsproposed":"","creditline":"Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900","markings":null,"inscribed":null,"signed":null,"catalograisonne":null,"creditlinerepro":null,"restrictions":null,"nowebuse":"False","secondaryobjectnumber":null,"campuscollections":"false","on_view":true,"accessionyear":"1950-01-01","newaccession":0,"titles":[{"title":"Tomb figure: kneeling musician","titletype":"Primary Title","displayorder":1}],"makers":[],"depicted":[],"texts":[{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Gallery Label","textentryhtml":"<p>\n\tDuring the Period of Disunity, the most powerful dynasty in northern China was the Northern Wei (386–535). It was founded by the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei, a federation of nomadic tribes from the Steppe region north of China. The Tuoba tactically adopted customs of their southern neighbors, including a Chinese-style administrative bureaucracy to run their government and Chinese names for members of their aristocracy. The lands ruled by the Tuoba included important trade routes that linked China with Central Asia and regions further west, sustaining the fortunes of the dynasty and bringing diverse goods and peoples to Northern Wei cities.\n</p>\n<p>\n\tThis remarkable tomb retinue—composed of attendants, soldiers, horsemen, court officials, bearded foreigners with heavily laden camels, and ensembles of musicians—forms a rich portrait of Northern Wei society. The large assemblage, indicative of the tomb occupant’s high rank, also includes early examples of tomb-guardian figures. The two large creatures sitting on their haunches, along with the oversized civilian officials and armored warriors, symbolically protected the deceased. Figures of chickens, pigs, rams, and geese were included as representations of the abundance to be enjoyed in the afterlife.\n</p>","remarks":"ASIA_15_CLA  Day 1 Cataloguing"},{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Provenance","textentryhtml":"Loyang, Honan Province, China; [Mathias Komor (1909–1984), New York]; J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900 (1895–1968), by 1950; given to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1950.","remarks":null}],"media":[{"id":55905,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV023697","isprimary":1,"rank":1,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Inventory Project"},{"id":7171,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/Y1950-75-82_SL","isprimary":0,"rank":2,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Luna Digitization Project"}],"hasimage":"true","bibliography":[{"boilertext":"\"Gifts by J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900, to the Art Museum\", <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University</em> 33, no. 2 (1974): p. 24-30.","citation":"\"Gifts by J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900, to the Art Museum\", <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University</em> 33, no. 2 (1974): p. 24-30., p. 29","date":1974,"id":6012,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774533"},{"boilertext":"Gillett G. Griffin, \"A memorial: J. Lionberger Davis, 1878-1973\", <EM>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University </EM>33, no. 2 (1974): p. 18-21.","citation":"Gillett G. Griffin, \"A memorial: J. Lionberger Davis, 1878-1973\", <EM>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University </EM>33, no. 2 (1974): p. 18-21., p. 20 (illus.)","date":1974,"id":6910,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774531"},{"boilertext":"'Recent acquisitions\", <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University </em>10, no. 1 (1951): p. 19.","citation":"'Recent acquisitions\", <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University </em>10, no. 1 (1951): p. 19., p. 19","date":1951,"id":6667,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774247"}],"exhibitions":[],"geography":[{"displaygeography":"Place excavated: Asia, China, Henan province, northwest of Loyang Fu","code":"Place excavated","continent":"Asia","subcontinent":null,"country":"China","region":null,"state":"Henan province","city":"northwest of Loyang Fu","county":null,"subregion":null,"locale":null,"locus":null,"river":null,"excavation":"tomb excavation","geoname":null,"location":{"lat":"","lon":""}}],"terms":[{"id":2080462,"term":"tombs","aatid":300005926,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2055657,"term":"figures (representations)","aatid":300189808,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2033355,"term":"Chinese","aatid":300018322,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2049167,"term":"ceramics","aatid":300151343,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2171684,"term":"tomb figures","aatid":null,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2033472,"term":"Northern Wei","aatid":300018409,"termtype":"Period / Style"},{"id":2089351,"term":"musicians","aatid":300025666,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2095937,"term":"funerary art","aatid":300056488,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2168058,"term":"slip glaze","aatid":300015110,"termtype":"Materials"},{"id":2049225,"term":"earthenware","aatid":300140803,"termtype":"Materials"},{"id":2167740,"term":"paint","aatid":300015029,"termtype":"Materials"}],"classifications":[{"id":2171684,"classification":"tomb figures"},{"id":2049167,"classification":"ceramics"},{"id":2095937,"classification":"funerary art"}],"cultures":[{"id":13592,"culture":"Chinese","alphasort":"Chinese","begindate":0,"enddate":0,"displayculture":"Chinese","displaydate":null}],"cultureterms":[{"id":2033355,"culture":"Chinese"}],"periods":[{"id":12509,"period":"Period of Disunity","alphasort":"Period of Disunity","begindate":220,"enddate":589,"displayperiod":"Period of Disunity, 220–589 CE","displaydate":"220–589 CE"}],"periodterms":[{"id":2033472,"period":"Northern Wei"}],"attribute_groups":[{"id":2199319,"term":"Asian Art","termtype":"Collecting Area"}],"dimensionelements":[{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"12.00"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"6.88"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Depth","units":"centimeters","dimension":"7.84"}],"packages":[{"packageid":193153,"name":"PUAM_Expressing Culture_Asian"},{"packageid":278831,"name":"10282025-DAY1-ONVIEW"},{"packageid":214208,"name":"Gallery_13-15(Pavilion4)-Asian"},{"packageid":204035,"name":"Teaching Kit Reproductions 8 1/2 x 11"},{"packageid":181967,"name":"web_2020_Asian"},{"packageid":276296,"name":"Education Highlights Tour Objects"}],"primaryimage":["https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV023697"],"displaymaker":null,"displayculture":"Chinese","displayperiod":"Period of Disunity, 220–589 CE","caption":"Chinese, Period of Disunity (220–589 CE), Tomb figure: kneeling musician, early 6th century. Gray earthenware with red and white slip paint; 12 x 6.9 x 7.8 cm. Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900 (y1950-76)","captionhtml":"Chinese, Period of Disunity (220–589 CE), <i>Tomb figure: kneeling musician</i>, early 6th century. Gray earthenware with red and white slip paint; 12 x 6.9 x 7.8 cm. Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900 (y1950-76)","published_date":"2026-02-11 09:59:08.241351","campusart":[{"campuscollections":"false","campusart":0,"neighborhood":null,"lat":null,"lon":null}],"extended_content":false}