A tomb dating back to the Zhenguan period of the early Tang Dynasty was discovered in Wan County, Sichuan Province, yielding over a hundred celadon figurines. These include armored warrior figurines on saddled horses, shield-holding figurines, sword-holding figurines, civil official figurines, male servant figurines with headscarves, foreign male servant figurines, tomb-guarding figurines (exorcist masks), human-headed bird-bodied figurines, zodiac animal figurines, as well as animal figurines such as camels and horses.
The shield-holding warrior figurine stands 48 cm tall, wearing a helmet adorned with a small chrysanthemum-shaped flower on the forehead. The face is full, with bright, expressive eyes. Clad in armor, the warrior holds a shield with one hand while the other assumes a sword-gripping posture. The shield is rectangular, featuring a large floral motif at the center, a golden turtle at the bottom, small floral patterns on both sides, and a net-like design at the lower part. The warrior stands on a square pedestal measuring 13.5 cm on each side.
The armored cavalry warrior figurine is 25 cm tall, with the horse clad in iron armor covering from the neck down to above the knees. A decorative “parasite” (a saddle ornament) stands upright on the horse’s hindquarters, featuring several openwork holes. The warrior wears a helmet, armor, and soft boots, with one hand placed on the chest as if holding something and the other resting on a sword.
The zodiac figurines are anthropomorphic animals dressed in wide-sleeved Taoist robes, tied with broad waistbands, and holding ceremonial tablets with both hands. Their heads are sculpted into the forms of the twelve zodiac animals, such as dragon, tiger, horse, ox, rat, and rooster.
These ceramic sculptures are made of grayish-white clay, with a hard, fine-grained texture, though some sand particles are present. The celadon glaze is thick, glassy, and crackled, with areas where the glaze has pooled forming bead-like droplets. The glaze color is relatively dark.
