https://emuseum.cornell.edu/internal/media/dispatcher/95633/fullWatchtower53 x 13 1/2 inches (134.6 x 34.3 cm)Lead-glazed earthenwareGift of Harry Lynch III87.081.0010The gate entrance is topped with 3 centrally-ridged roofs; one person stands there and one bird stands still in the courtyard. The second storey is supported by four mask-ornamented buttresses at four corners, which are attached to the top of its bottom unit (the 1st storey). Two figures are seen for each side wall (one missing and one's head chipped off). three large openwork windows, each with apertures of cross form, appear on the three facades. The 3rd floor is superimposed by tiled eaves. Two figures are standing in the walled patio, one lifting an arch. The eaves are supported by four buttresses connecting to the four corner lines of the structure (the two in the back are missing). The 4th storey bears similar design to the 3rd except for the eaves. One figure is placed at the opened door. From its top four corners the buttresses connect to the top unit (the buttresses are ornamented with couching-animal motif). The top unit repeats the design of the 2nd one. The whole structure is surmounted by an overhanging four-ridged tiled roof. Potted from clay, this watchtower is glazed in a thick, iridescent green. P.Wann 3/89Ceramics21472024269ChinaCeramic architectural models excavated from Han tombs are replicas of actual buildings that reflect contemporary living conditions. At the end of the Han dynasty, when the old, centralized system failed to adequately protect the country, independent landowners rose to replace the state and become the political and economic units outside the metropolitan areas. They maintained their own guards to protect their land. Watchtowers inevitably became a strong defensive element in the private security system.
This five-story structure is situated on a square courtyard where a bird is seen inside, while a guard stands at the gate. The second story, enclosed by openwork windows, is entirely attached to the lower level by mask-headed buttresses. Balconies on the third and fourth levels provide lookouts for an archer, a guard, and a well-dressed figure who might represent the master of the house. In the afterlife this watchtower served to provide protection for the part of the soul that would remain in the tomb, while the bird that surmounts the roof has arrived to provide an escort for the part of the soul that will journey to heaven.
Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE)87.081.001