Funeral Effigies in Paris – Musee Cernuschi
Modern Celebrant is in Paris blogging today about funeral effigies while listening to the 7 pm church bells. I’m in my ‘happy place’. Being one of those (some would say odd) people who are keenly interested in all things funeral and ritual, I was tres thrilled to come across the Musee Cernuschi today with its amazing collection of 3rd and 6th century Chinese terracotta funeral effigies. I could have spent all day there.
Terra cotta funeral effigies of cooks, dancers, scholars, buffoons, merchants, soldiers, musicians, acrobats, polo players, exorcists, dignitaries, gardeners… with the odd barbarian, dog, and horse for good measure. The horse was one of the rare effigies in wood. Imagine a 1800 year old wood horse still so finely preserved and well wrought it seemed to be looking at me hopefully.
