Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun
唐刘廷洵墓三彩俑组
A complete tomb assemblage of 13 sancai-glazed figures buried with the Tang general Liu Tingxun in 728 CE: two horses, two camels, two civil officials, two military officials, two earth spirits, two guardian kings, and a single tomb attendant. Together they form the choreography of an idealised afterlife court.
Object Facts
- Period
- Tang dynasty (618–907)
- Date
- ca. 728 CE
- Medium
- Earthenware with sancai three-color glaze
- Dimensions
- Tallest: H. 110.5 cm
- Held by
- The British Museum
London, United Kingdom - Accession
- 1936,1012.220-232
The British Museum — gift of P. T. Brooke Sewell, 1936
Why it matters
Most Tang sancai tomb groups in Western museums are reconstructions of mismatched pieces. The Liu Tingxun set is one of the few intact archaeological assemblages — every figure unearthed from the same chamber, providing a rare grammar of how Tang aristocrats wanted to be remembered.
How it travelled
Excavated near Luoyang during the 1920s rail-laying boom, when many Tang tombs were exposed and stripped. The set was purchased by the British collector P. T. Brooke Sewell, who donated it to the British Museum in 1936.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun?+
Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun is held by the The British Museum in London, United Kingdom. Accession number 1936,1012.220-232. Online catalogue record: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1936-1012-220.
When was Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun created?+
Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun dates to ca. 728 CE, during the Tang dynasty (618–907).
What is Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun made of?+
Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun is a set of 13 tomb figures executed in earthenware with sancai three-color glaze, measuring Tallest: H. 110.5 cm.
How did Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun end up at the British Museum?+
Excavated near Luoyang during the 1920s rail-laying boom, when many Tang tombs were exposed and stripped. The set was purchased by the British collector P. T. Brooke Sewell, who donated it to the British Museum in 1936.
Can I reuse the photograph of Tomb Figures of General Liu Tingxun?+
Yes, with conditions. The image is licensed CC BY-SA: free to share and adapt with attribution to the British Museum, and any derivative works must use the same licence.
More Chinese pieces at British Museum
Other Chinese works in the The British Museum collection.
Original: Eastern Jin · Paintings
Admonitions of the Court Instructress
女史箴图
The earliest surviving Chinese narrative figure painting on silk — illustrations to a 3rd-century Confucian text instructing palace women on proper conduct. The Eastern Jin master Gu Kaizhi is the painter of record; the surviving handscroll is a faithful Tang-dynasty copy.
Yuan dynasty, Zhizheng era · Ceramics
The David Vases
至正型青花云龙象耳瓶
A pair of cobalt-blue temple vases dated by inscription to 1351 — the rosetta stone of blue-and-white porcelain. Until Sir Percival David identified these in 1929, scholars wrongly assumed blue-and-white only began in the Ming dynasty.
Tang dynasty · Books / Prints
Diamond Sutra (868 CE)
金刚经
The world's earliest complete dated printed book. The colophon names the donor, Wang Jie, and dates the printing to the 13th day of the 4th month, 9th year of the Xiantong reign — 11 May 868 — almost 600 years before Gutenberg.
From the same era
Other treasures abroad sharing themes or period with this work.
Tang dynasty · Paintings
Night-Shining White
照夜白图
The single most celebrated painting of a horse in Chinese art. Han Gan's ink drawing of Emperor Xuanzong's favourite charger, 'Night-Shining White', has been treasured by collectors for over 1,270 years — its scroll is covered end to end in colophons and seals of the emperors, scholars, and dealers through whose hands it passed.
Tang dynasty · Tomb Pottery
Sancai-Glazed Horse
唐三彩马
A nearly life-size ceramic horse glazed in the signature amber, green, and cream of Tang sancai ware. Its powerful stance and flared nostrils capture the Ferghana chargers that Tang emperors imported at ruinous expense along the Silk Road.
Tang dynasty · Sculpture
Head of a Bodhisattva
菩萨石刻头像
A serene Tang-dynasty bodhisattva head, sliced clean from a once-colossal cave-temple statue. Its softly downcast eyes and jewelled crown represent the mature classical style that spread from Longmen across East Asia.