TimeLine Auctions Limited
Los 3
206 BC - 220 AD. An undated Han Dynasty style life-size 'museum' display burial suit composed from 'jade' tiles (probably bowenite), mainly rectangular in plan with some trapezoidal, rhomboidal, discoid and other forms held by thin copper wire; the body of the suit edged with fabric, including separate elements for the trunk, legs, arms, hands, feet and head; additional carved elements for the facial features and the chest portion with low relief carving of opposed dragons. 16.7 kg total, 1.86m total height (73 1/4"). Property of an English collector; acquired Timeline Auctions sale 14 December 2012, lot 512 (£5,324 inclusive); formerly the property of a German professional. A Small number of these burial suits are known from China, the most famous being that from the intact tomb of Prince Liu Sheng and his wife, Princess Tou Wan, found in Hebei Province. Suits such as these are mostly found during the Han Dynasty; a jade burial suit was extremely expensive to create, and only wealthy aristocrats could afford to be buried in them. Additionally, the process of manufacturing a suit was labor-intensive and is estimated to have required several years to complete a single suit. According to the Book of Later Han, the type of wire used was dependent on the status of the person buried. The jade burial suits of emperors used gold thread; princes, princesses, dukes, and marquises, silver thread; and lesser aristocrats, silk thread, with all others being forbidden to be buried in jade burial suits. Jade was believed to have preservative and protective qualities that would prevent the deterioration of soft tissues and keep away evil spirits.
