Sancai tomb guardian (one of a pair w/2004/2.132.2) with animal face and horns / Artist Unknown, China

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Record Details

Accession Number
2004/2.132.1
Title
Sancai tomb guardian (one of a pair w/2004/2.132.2) with animal face and horns
Artist Nationality
Chinese
Object Creation Date
circa 675-750
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
China (nation)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
China (nation)
Dimensions
70.01 cm x 24.13 cm x 5.5 cm (27 9/16 in. x 9 1/2 in. x 2 3/16 in.)
Century
7th-8th century
Primary Object Classification
Sculpture
Primary Object Type
figure
Secondary Object Classification
Ceramic
Secondary Object Type
funerary sculpture
Physical Description
Earthenware ceramic figure with tri-color glaze (in amber, cream and green) in the form of a creature with an animal face and horns
Subject Matter
Relics from one of the golden eras of Chinese art and culture, these fierce beast figures were always placed in pairs in tombs that often contained numerous ceramic figures of humans, animals, and supernatural creatures. Because of their position near the tomb entrance and their ferocious demeanor, such figures are thought to have been sentinels protecting the deceased from evil spirits.
Developed during the Six Dynasties period (222 - 589), spirit beast pairs always included one figure with a human face and one with a bestial face. Such tomb guardians with canine or feline bodies, seated on their haunches with straight forelegs, also were produced in the Tang dynasty, when ceramic examples commonly were fired with colorful lead-silicate glazes known as sancai or "three-color" glaze.
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Technical Details

Image Size
1632 x 2880
File Size
625 KB
Record
2004/2.132.1
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2004-sl-2.132.1/2004_2_132_1.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2004-SL-2.132.1:2004_2_132_1.JPG

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"Sancai tomb guardian (one of a pair w/2004/2.132.2) with animal face and horns; Artist Unknown, China." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2004-sl-2.132.1/2004_2_132_1.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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