Warrior

Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an

This Tang dynasty warrior would originally have been brightly colored. His forbidding expression, suitable to a tomb guardian, is highlighted by the wide moustache, wild eyebrows, bulging eyes, and cleft chin of the face, and by his unyielding, hand-on-hip posture. His sleeves issue from a dragon's mouth. A fierce mask covers the warrior's stomach, where his qi or vital force is located. His left hand would originally have held a spear.

The type of armor seen here is metal plate, consisting of several pieces that are sewn together for flexibility, especially where its thigh guards join the waist. It is worn over leather and cloth underlayers, both for comfort and for additional protection. The head covering is a type of helmet with distinctively upcurved sides.