Detail of the Burial Ensemble of Dou Wan in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2017

Burial Ensemble of Dou Wan

Object Details

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

Culture: China

Medium: Suit: jade (nephrite) with gold wire; pillow: gilt bronze and jade (nephrite); orifice plugs: jade (nephrite)

Dimensions: H. 67 11/16 in. (171.9 cm); W. 30 7/8 in. (78.4 cm); D. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm); Wt. 77.2 lb. (35 kg)

Classification: Jade

Credit Line: Lent by Hebei Provincial Museum and Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics



This burial ensemble was excavated from the tomb of Dou Wan, wife of Prince Liu Sheng of Zhongshan. The suit consists of small jade plaques, each meticulously shaped and fitted together with gold wire to delineate the curves of the body. It represents the completion of a magical transformation of a deceased individual’s body, accomplished through a layering of jades. The first layer would have been the set of jade plugs seen here, which were inserted into the nine bodily orifices to seal the corpse. Next came a layer of small and large bi disks. The corpse was then encased in this suit, its head resting on the accompanying pillow. The ensemble of jades protected the body and the soul in their entirety, enabling the deceased to attain immortality.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/696308