Unglazed clay hen grave figure from the Han Dynasty. Representation of food for the deceased.;Gray clay is representative of the period. Peasants who found such artifacts usually cleaned them very well -dealer's would then dirty them back up to make them look 'more authentic' and to cover up damaged areas (dealer's mud.) Identified and dated by Bennet Bronson, Professor of History, University of Illinois Chicago, IL; tel: 312.665.7832;Grave figure from the Han Dynasty (100--200 AD). It was the custom to bury slaves and domestic animals with their masters so that they might not want for attention in the other world. A potter about the time of Christ is said to have suggested burying clay images with the dead. These images were of coarse clay, sometimes glazed only partly and sometimes unglazed.
