Model of a Pigsty and Latrines

Description

Han-dynasty grave goods documented even the most mundane aspects of rural life. As illustrated here, latrines—or toilets—were customarily built above a pigsty and connected by pipes to a cesspool. The ar-chitectural style of this well-constructed object resembles models excavated from tombs in Huixian, a city in northern China.

Model of a Pigsty and Latrines

Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), 100 BCE–100 CE

Accession Number

37716

Medium

Gray earthenware with stamped decoration

Dimensions

40.6 × 21.6 × 27.9 cm (16 × 8 1/2 × 11 in.)

Classification

earthenware

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Bertha Palmer Thorne