Tomb Guardian with Animal Head

鎮墓獸

early 700s
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

Sancai (three-color) glazes in green, amber, and transparent white, plus expensive cobalt blue glaze, show the high social status of the tomb’s occupant.

Description

With their fierce expressions and exaggerated physical features, fantastic guardian creatures were intended to guard the entrance to a tomb, warding off evil as well as keeping the soul of the deceased from wandering. Known as "earth spirits" or qitou, this one has an animal face and a pair of antlers growing above its eyebrows; the other sports a human face with huge protruding ears and a short horn surrounded by fiery, twisting hair. Their many elongated spikes heighten the fearful intensity.

Before tomb sculptures were placed in the tomb, they were carried through the streets in a funerary procession. Funerary gifts provided the deceased with means for the afterlife. They were also an expression of filial piety and demonstrated the wealth and power of the descendants.
Tomb Guardian with Animal Head

Tomb Guardian with Animal Head

early 700s

China, probably Shaanxi province, Xi'an, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Videos

Earth Spirits

Conservation Examination

Tomb Guardians

Tomb Guardians - Chinese language version

Visually Similar by AI

    CMA Store

    China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta
    By Clarissa von Spee, Curator of Chinese Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, with contributions from Yiwen Liu, Curatorial Research Assistant, The Cleveland Museum of Art. China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta is the first publication in the West that focuses on the artistic production and cultural impact of this region of China. Also called Jiangnan, it is located in the coastal area south of the Yangzi River that has throughout large parts of its history been one of China’s most wealthy, populous, and fertile regions. For millennia it has been an area of rich agriculture, extensive trade, and influential artistic production. Art from Jiangnan—home to such great cities as Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Nanjing, as well as to hilly picturesque landscapes stretched along rivers and lakes—has largely defined the image of traditional China for the world. The lavishly 432-page illustrated catalogue includes introductory essays by internationally renowned scholars covering such topics as Jiangnan in poetry, the region’s economy, silk production, southern green stoneware, landscape painting, color print production and urban culture, Buddhism, and garden culture. The book presents six thematic sections and features more than 200 objects from Neolithic times to the 18th century ranging in media from jade, silk, prints, and paintings to porcelain, lacquer, and bamboo carvings. Edited by Clarissa von Spee, the essays and object entries illustrate and discuss how this region gained a leading role in China’s artistic production and how Jiangnan succeeded in setting cultural standards. Taking this new approach, the international exhibition catalogue highlights iconic works of art as well as new, previously unpublished material, from private and public collections in the United States, Europe, China, and Japan. 432 Pages, 336 color + b-w illus.
    China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta
    Chao Shao-an: Chinese Master 2025 Wall Calendar
    After the fall of China’s last imperial dynasty, Chao Shao-an sought to revitalize Chinese art and refresh the artistic connections with nature. Drawing inspiration from the West, he became a leader in his homeland’s Modernist art movement while continuing to honor his ancient Chinese heritage. With fluid brushwork, vibrant colors, inventive compositions, and loose, expressive style, Chao Shao-an creates exquisite flower, bird, animal, and insect paintings that are grounded in the symbolism of his culture. Twelve of these masterful paintings are featured in this calendar for your enjoyment all year round.
    Chao Shao-an: Chinese Master 2025 Wall Calendar
    Pavillion Hand Fan 9 x 16
    A Pavilion, 1127–1279China, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) ?Album leaf; ink and color on silkGift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1915.705
    Pavillion Hand Fan 9 x 16

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.