A pair of 6th century painted pottery figurines wearing hoods

The advent of winter accompanied by plummeting temperature compels people to adopt headgear to temper the seasonal chill. In ancient times, Chinese people would also wear hats to fend off cold, which can be exemplified by the following pottery figurines.

The two pottery figurines both wear hoods, and feature plump facial contours. Their eyebrows and eye orbs are accented with ink lines. Their lips are embellished with rouge. Their arms gracefully bend, with hands forming a gesture as if holding an object in front of the chest.

Unearthed from the tomb of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557-81) general Li Xian (502-69) and his wife in Ningxia in 1983, these two figurines are among the stunning military parade buried in the tomb.