"This pillar was used in a brick tomb to hold up the lintel of a doorway. It would have been positioned centrally with doors on either side, creating the impression of a house.
The extraordinary kneeling figure on top was intended to ward off evil. He is oddly proportioned, but complete. His feet appear on the sides of the pillar and his hands are incised on the front. A figure of a bird in flight is stamped between his legs. Two lines of this bird emblem are arranged on each side of the pillar. On the front are two columns climbing dragons. Surrounding the lines of pictorial decoration are borders with a geometric pattern, a common feature of Han tomb architecture."
Works Cited:
Information and Picture:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/asia/p/pilaster_from_a_tomb.aspx
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