西漢 菱形乳釘幾何紋磚立柱 The gray hollowed earthenware pillar impressed and carved with rows of geometric design interrupted by rows of leaf motifs at the four corners. Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9),1st century B.C. Height: 49 1/2 in (125.7 cm) Length: 7 1/2 in (19.1 cm) Width: 7 1/2 in (19.1 cm) In northern China during the Han dynasty,hollow clay bricks were used to construct the small,rectangular chambers of underground tombs. Before firing,the bricks were stamped with geometric pattern or images from daily life and from mythology. This combination of subject matters reflects a dualistic view of the human soul: separating at death,one part of the soul was thought to remain in the earthly tomb,while the other ascended to a paradise—the realm of ancestral spirits and of the special beings who have achieved immortality. Similar Han Dynasty chamber pillars can be found in metropolitan museum (fig 1.) and Chicago Institute of Art (fig 2.)Provenance: Property from the private collection of the Grayson family,Los Angeles & Portland 來源: 洛杉磯/波特蘭格里森家族(Grayson Family)收藏