May 2017 Non-fiction Berkeley Books

Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China's Han Dynasty Foreword by Jay Xu

This stunning Chinese art book presents almost a hundred recently unearthed objects that offer a glimpse into the extraordinary wealth and artistic accomplishments of elite society during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCEu9 CE). These exquisite treasures are from newly discovered sites in the Jiangsu region of China and are made of gold, silver, jade, bronze, pottery, lacquer, and other refined materials. Masterworks include a full-length jade suit sewn with gold threads, an oversized coffin shrouded in jade, and a complete set of functional bronze bells. The book's texts explore a number of ideas about life and death of Western Han royalty.