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Details
- Place where the work was made
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China
- Period
- Tang dynasty 618 - 907 → China
- Date
- 0618-0907
- Media category
- Ceramic
- Materials used
- earthenware, green glaze
- Dimensions
- 5.8 x 9.7 x 5.5 cm; 7.6 x 10.0 x 5.8 cm object with stand
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of Mr Sydney Cooper 1962
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- EC58.1962
- Copyright
- Share
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About
Small hollow moulded figures of animals are a common feature of Tang funerary art. Some were animals native to China, some were imaginary, fantastic creatures, and others such as the lion were animals introduced to China.
The coiled feline, with a paw scratching an ear, is one of the most common motifs in the sculpture and decorative arts of the eighth century. Comparative pieces in ceramic, jade, and stone are known.
China first became acquainted with the lion in the Han period through its contact with the West. In the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern world the lion, because it was the largest predator and most powerful and dangerous of all creatures, had become a universal symbol of power, often royal power. The Chinese adopted the lion and its symbolism into the 'mingqi' repertoire, and it even appears as large scale stone guardians of the spirit path to some tombs. The lion was also adopted by Buddhism, figuring as the defender of law and the protector of ancient buildings from whence developed the tradition of placing a pair of lions at the entrance of buildings.
Jackie Menzies, 'Early Chinese Art', AGNSW, 1983. cat. no. XXXIV
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Places
Where the work was made
China
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Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
Early Chinese art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 26 Feb 1983–08 May 1983
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Bibliography
Referenced in 1 publication
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Jackie Menzies, Early Chinese Art, Sydney, 1983, (illus.) not paginated. cat.no. XXXIV. See 'Further Information' for text.
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