Wooden Figurine Wearing a Hat

Two identical wooden figurines wearing hat were unearthed from Han tomb 1 at Mawangdui. The body was carved out of a whole piece of wood. The attire has partially decayed, but still shows a long robe made of dark blue damask with lozenge patterns. The robe, with broad sleeves, is long enough to cover the feet while the collar, the sleeves and the flap are all hemmed with cotton fabric. These two wooden figurines are rather robust in body build and solemn in expression, with hat and attire quite different from those of other wooden figurines. They seem to possess certain social position, and experts assume they might be the stewards in the mansion of the Marquis of Dai. Word Explanation: chang guan (Long Hat) Also known as “zhai guan”, the long hat is normally made with a skeleton of bamboo outer bark covered with lacquer. As the crown of this hat is flat and elongated, it is also called “bamboo-bark hat”. This hat was originally invented by the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty and later decided as part of the mourning attire of official. To show its nobleness, rules and regulations at that time make it clear that only nobles above the ranks of marquis and duke were allowed to wear it. The one worn by the wooden figurine unearthed from Han tombs at Mawangdui is exactly this kind of hat.