This grey pottery warrior would have been a tomb guardian. He stands in a menacing position with his right arm raised as if holding a weapon. The warrior has long hair bound in into a topknot. It wears a short tunic and fitting trousers.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 ruling elite.The custom was an ancient one. It is thought that these wares were believed necessary for the deceased in the next world. Elaborate groups of burial wares were a display of wealth and social status.
