Funerary Statuette: Tomb Guardian
Location
Era
Tang dynasty (618-907 C.E.)
Title
Funerary Statuette: Tomb Guardian
Materials
Earthenware, three-colour glaze (sancai)
Dimensions
33.1 x 14.8 x 10.3 cm
Credits
Purchase, inv. 1918.Ed.6
Collection
Archeology and World Cultures; Decorative Arts and Design
As early as the Eastern Zhou dynasty, during the seventh century B.C.E, horned mythological beasts (zhenmushou) made of painted wood were placed in tombs in the southern Chinese state of Chu to ward off evil. The same imagery was adapted and transformed into lead-glazed earthenware in the Tang dynasty, their now semi-realistic rendering betraying a Central Asian prototype.
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