In Kingly Splendor, Allison R. Miller examines funerary art in the kingdoms of the early Western Han and contextualizes this art in the period's political history, paying special attention to the relationship between the kings and the imperial court. Chapter 1 provides the historical context, focusing on Emperor Wen's and Emperor Jing's different approaches to managing the kingdoms. Chapters 2–6 present five case studies, each centering on one genre of art: rock-cut tombs, terracotta armies, jade suits, murals, and purple textiles. Combining archaeological evidence, transmitted texts, and secondary scholarship, the book argues that the kings were not just imitators of the imperial court but also adapters and innovators of art who employed local materials and techniques for political expressions.
The book adopts a “material-based approach,” which means “paying attention to materials and the processes by which works were manufactured as well as objects’ contexts of display” (p. 5), as...
