Mythical Gilt Warrior Figure

Lavishly pigmented and carved with intricate detail, this petite mythical figurine was originally a decorative element from an ornate 19th-century bed surround. Dressed in military attire and riding into battle on horseback, this energetic figure depicts a warrior from the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Though the weapon in his hand has been lost to time, it's clear this figure was a fearsome adversary.

A 14th-century historical novel attributed to playwright Luo Guanzhong, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a dramatized account of the final years of the Han dynasty and the emergent power struggles of the Three Kingdoms period, spanning from 169 to 280 AD. Drawing from popular legend, the novel uses the turbulent lives of feudal lords to tell a tale of fallen empires and the inevitability of fate.