Liu Sheng's was made of 2498 pieces of jade, sewn together with 1.1 kilograms of gold thread. Each suit consists of 12 sections: face, head, front, and back parts of tunic, arms, gloves, leggings, and feet.
The back of the jade pieces were numbered. Archeologists believed that the ancient craftsmen designed the suit on a wood manikin. Lines were drawn on the manikin to divide the sections. Then the jade was cut into different shapes and sizes to fit in with each part of the body.
The gold threads are generally 4-5 centimeters long and the thinnest ones are no thicker than a human hair. It has been estimated that a suit such as Liu Sheng's would have taken ten years to fashion. Along with the jade suits, Liu Sheng and Dou Wan each had gilt bronze headrests inlaid with jade and held jade crescents in their hands.
Bronze Boshan Incense Burner with Gold Inlay
Height: 26 cm
Weight: 3.4 kg
Gold dragons emerge from the openwork foot to support the bowl of the burner. The bowl is decorated with a pattern of swirling gold inlay suggestive of waves. The lid of the burner is formed of flame-shaped peaks, among which are trees, animals, and immortals. There are many tiny holes in the peaks.
The burner probably symbolizes the mythical Taoist mountain of Boshan, on the Isle of Immortals in the Eastern Sea. The incense smoke rising from the holes would have suggested clouds or mist among the mountain grottoes. Mountains had special significance in the Han imagination; tall mountains were believed to be access routes to the world of the immortals.
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