EASTERN HAN DYNASTY (AD 25-220)

This lively dancer-musician is shown in mid-performance practicing a style of musical storytelling called shuochang. He rhythmically beats a drum tucked under his left arm, kicking his bare feet in time to the music. Sculptures such as the present example provide a glimpse into the lives and entertainments of these ancient people. A grey pottery figure of a drummer, depicted with the same energetic pose and singing, is illustrated in The Quest for Eternity: Chinese Ceramic Sculptures from the People’s Republic of China, San Francisco, 1987, pp. 75, 117, no. 38.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C198n98 is consistent with the dating of this figure.