Fired clay with lead glaze
25-220 CE
China
Museum Rietberg
Details
Culture/Civilisation
Eastern Han Dynasty
Theme
Agriculture and Surplus
Subtheme
Surplus and the Road to City-States
Case Title
From grain to bread
Display Location
Coomaraswamy Hall
Findspot
China
Measurements
14.2 x 29 x 32 cm
Accession Number
RCH 2108
Description
Until recently stoves like this Chinese one were used in India and across Asia and Africa. They were designed to control fire and heat during cooking with clay pots. Boiling food kills germs, making it healthier and more digestible. Millet was cooked in the north of China, rice in the south.
This miniature Chinese stove was made for use in the afterlife and placed in a tomb.
Curators Comments
Glazed ceramic models such as this house were placed in tombs to serve the dead in the afterlife, alongside figurines of servants, soldiers, pigs, dogs and horses, as well as storage jars and agricultural tools. This was a popular practice in the Han dynasty (25-220 CE).
