This standing tomb guardian figurine is that of a warrior. The pottery figure wears a pointed helmet and appeared to have been holding an object in his right hand, now missing.It is 'mingqi' or burial ware that would have been part of a larger group of funerary items interred in the grave of a member of the wealthy elite.The custom was an ancient one. It is thought these wares were necessary for the deceased in the next world. Elaborate groups of burial wares were also a display of wealth and social status.
