Unidentified Artist
Date:
Late 7th-Early 8th Century
Medium:
White earthenware with unfired pigments, gold leaf
Size:
Depth: 11 1/2″
Width: 9 7/16″
Height: 28 13/16″
A pair of tomb guardians—one with the face of a human and the other with the head of a lion—guarded the entrance to the tomb of a member of China’s elite. Only two of these paired guardians were needed to protect the tomb. Meng Kang, a 3rd-century historian, named these creatures: “If it has one horn, it may be a tianlu (heavenly deer); if it has two horns, it may be a bixie (one who averts evil).”

Horns, large eyes, wings, serpentine bodies, serrated spines, and hooves often appear on evil-averting creatures. The pairing of these creatures—one with a lion’s mouth opened mid-roar and the other with ears on alert—suggests that fierceness and vigilance were essential to the safety of the departed soul. Guardians were believed to protect the tomb from grave robbers and evil spirits, ensuring the soul of the deceased would rest undisturbed. They also prevented a dissatisfied soul from leaving the tomb to threaten living family members.

Purchase with Exchange Funds from Bequest of John M. Glenn, Gift of Alexander B. Griswold, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. L. Manuel Hendler, the Mary Frick Jacobs Collection, Gift of Randolph Mordecai, Gift from the Estate of Ruth Marshall Mugford, and Gift of Elizabeth Remsen; and Julius Levy Memorial Fund BMA 1991.119.1-2

Seeing Brilliant Color

Transcript

Frances Klapthor] The white clay that the figures are made from allowed for more fully sculptural works because the strength of the clay allowed more rounded forms that you see of the swelling chests, the spiky flames, the raised decoration, the quite delicate ears that are intact. The fact that the pigments have survived in such condition. The fact that the green is still so bright and the pink is bright. Orange, black, even bits of gold adhere to the figure suggest how colorful the world was. I think we tend to forget a lot of
times how lively and colorful life was because all we have are the vestiges of something that was actually very showy and dynamic.

Seeing Buddhist Imagery

Transcript

Frances Klapthor] This is an angry, screaming guardian lion, and yet he has the horns of a peaceful deer. He has tightly curled hair that might remind you of the kinds of curls that you see on the statue of the Buddha. That four-part flower on the chest was a very popular design at this period of time. It’s seen a lot in Buddhist art. The fact that these animals just seem poised as though they would react or act in an instant. And I think that really those ears, they could hear the slightest danger, but maybe they could also hear and foster communication between the living and the dead