C. Mawangdui 馬王堆

From 1972 to 1974, three elite Western Han 西漢 (202 BCE - 9 CE) tombs,
were scientifically excavated at Mawangdui 馬王堆. Two of these tombs
(tombs Nos. 1 and 3, ca. 168 BCE) were undisturbed and especially well-preserved,
containing not only a wealth of finely-crafted funerary items, but also some forty manuscripts on silk, wood, and bamboo.

Imagining the Afterlife Journey

The T-shaped silk banner, below, which was found laid over the coffin of the deceased of tomb M1,
apparently respresents the tomb occupant on her post-mortem spirit journey,
and probably was intended through its magic to assist and guide the deceased on this journey.

Photo of silk banner, public domain.

Line drawing of T-shaped banner from tomb M1.

Mawanngdui tomb structures

Tomb M1, Layout

In tombs 1 and 3, the outer coffin chamber 槨室 is divided into five compartments:
the inner chamber 棺室, in which four nested coffins 棺 were located, and four additional spaces surrounding it, oriented north to south, head to foot.

Linedrawing of tomb M1, showing the layout and the t-shaped banner on innermost of the four nested coffins

Museum Replicas

The last time I was in Changsha (2018), I was able to take nice photos of the T-shaped banner on display at the Changsha Museum. It must be noted that the T-shaped banner on display is a replica. China has a strange relationship to its past, and museums are often used as tools for political education and inculcating nationalism. And replicas fill in the story. To me, it would feel strange going to a museum to see a replica of a Renior painting, but musuems in China often want to fill in the spaces to tell a larger narrtative about an imagined Chinese identity.

For example, I was in the National Museum in Beijing and saw the small (37.5cm x 28cm) painting of a man riding a dragon accompanied by a crane and a fish, excavated in a Warring States period Chu tomb (M1) at Zidanku 子彈庫 in 1973.

Wow, I didn't realize this was in Beijing... then I read the caption.

Of course, there needs to be a responsible balance between the use of replicas and originals in musuems, especially to protect and preserve original artifacts (the T-shaped banner is exceptionally fragile). Unfortunately, authenticity can be lost through the use of replicas.

It just seems so strange to go to a museum to see a replica, when (unlike the Zidanku painting in Beijing) it is even not labeled as a replica!

Links to Mawangdui Artifacts

Examine the T-Shaped Banner from Tomb 1
Examine the T-Shaped Banner from Tomb 3
Examine the Artwork on the Nested Coffins
See other Artifacts from these Tombs

Return to Index of Funerary Art
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