Tomb guardian figures

From the 1500s to 1700s, stone figures of child attendants, called dongja, were placed in front of the graves of aristocrats or individuals who held high ranks in the government. The pair of dongja here each hold a lotus up to their chests. Later, stone child attendants like these were more commonly seen in combination with or replaced entirely by stone figures of adult civil officials. Such stone figures were charged with watching over the soul of the dead.