208 Chinese Clay Figures 



representing such watch-towers ; and all these, according to the unanimous 

 testimony of the Chinese, have been found in graves of Kan-su Province. 

 The conclusion would seem justified that pottery of this type was in- 

 terred, as worthy emblems of their martial calling, with renowned officers 

 who had deserved well of their country in the frontier wars and had 

 died the honorable death of the soldier. On Plate XIX is illustrated 

 a green-glazed model of a three-storied watch-tower rising from the 

 bottom of a round bowl: on the two parapets and roofs the sentinels 

 are engaged in showering from their crossbows a volley of darts on an 

 advancing column of scouts. 1 Here we enjoy seeing before us in action 

 the undaunted heroes of the Hunnic wars whose sentiments were im- 

 mortalized by Li Po. The imposing loftiness of the structure standing 

 with the force of a pyramid, the beautiful architectural forms, the jutting 

 wooden beams supporting the corners of the parapets, are notable fea- 

 tures making this bit of clay a live and unique document of the culture 

 of the Han period. 



There are also less elaborate pottery models of such watch-towers. 

 One in the Museum collection 2 shows a single story with windows on 

 three sides and a door ajar in the front wall; the windows are provided 

 with elegant lattice-work. Another specimen 3 represents the section 

 of a city-wall with a roofed, square tower in the corner, to which a stair- 

 case leads up. 



The most signal fact about defensive armor under the Han is that 

 metal suits gradually made their way during this period. We meet, for 

 the designation of it, a new word k'ai (No. 5798), written with a charac- 

 ter in which the classifier kin ("copper " 4 or "metal ") enters, and which 

 does not occur in the ancient canonical texts. From the terminology 

 of the dictionary Shuo wen (around 100 a.d.) we gather that armature 

 had then grown more complete, that there were metal helmets (tou mou) , 

 brassards Qian) , 5 and metal protectors for the nape (ya-hia). 6 The old 



1 This beautiful piece of Han pottery is in the collection of Mr. Charles L. Freer 

 of Detroit, to whom I am greatly indebted for the photograph and his kind permis- 

 sion to publish it. The object was acquired by Mr. Freer as early as in the seventies, 

 and is the first specimen of Han pottery that came to America; presumably it was 

 even the first to come out of China. 



2 Cat. No. 118,489; 27.5 cm high, green glaze decomposed into silver oxidation. 



3 Cat. No. 120,901 ; gray clay, unglazed; excavated by Dr. Buckens, physician in 

 the service of the Peking-Hankow Railway, near Cheng-chou, Ho-nan Province. 



4 "Copper" is probably the original meaning, but not, as supposed formerly, 

 "gold." In the Chou li gold is always designated huang kin ("yellow metal"). 



5 Giles (No. 3791) translates "greaves; leg-guards for soldiers," which is doubt- 

 less also correct; but the definition of this word in the Shuo win is pei k'ai; that is, 

 arm-guards. 



8 See Couvreur, Dictionnaire chinois-frangais, p. 115 b (also in Palladius, 

 Chinese-Russian Dictionary). Compare Chinese text opposite. 



