Tomb Guardian with Animal Head
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 funerar...
Details
- Palette
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- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.923 m, width 0.438 m, depth 0.419 m
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of various donors to the department of Asian Art (by exchange)
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Hybrids and Imaginary Creatures Both · 98%
The figure combines an animal-like head and facial features with an upright, human-associated body structure and numerous fantastic projections. The museum describes it as a fantastic guardian creature or earth spirit.
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Grotesque Both · 84%
Its snarling open mouth, visible teeth, exaggerated features, horns or antlers, and dense pointed projections produce a deliberately fearsome, distorted appearance; the museum emphasizes its fierce expression and exaggerated physical features.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 97%
The surface is densely elaborated with modeled facial details, curling forms, antler-like projections, spikes, limbs, claws, and varied glaze effects.
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Sharp/Prickly Visual · 98%
Long, narrow pointed projections surround the head, shoulders, and sides of the body, making a sharp and prickly silhouette.
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Bright and Vivid Colors Visual · 93%
Saturated green, amber-brown, cream, blue, and dark glaze colors create a vivid polychrome appearance.
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Symmetrical Visual · 90%
The figure is presented frontally with a largely bilateral arrangement of the head, limbs, and surrounding projections.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The image shows a freestanding, fully three-dimensional figure, and the museum classifies the work as ceramic.
Time Periods
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500 - 1000 CE Art Metadata · 99%
The museum date range is 700–725 CE, within the 500–1000 CE period.
Geographic Regions
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Chinese Art Metadata · 99%
The museum identifies the work as Chinese Art and gives its origin as China, probably Shaanxi province, Xi'an.
Materials
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Ceramic Both · 99%
The glossy fired surface and modeled form are visibly ceramic; the museum specifies glazed earthenware in sancai ware.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Tang Dynasty Metadata · 99%
The stated origin places the work in the Tang dynasty, dated here to the early 700s.
Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects
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Funerary/Commemorative Object Metadata · 99%
The museum identifies this object as a tomb guardian associated with funerary furnishings and the protection of the deceased.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Tomb Guardian with Animal Head. Cleveland Museum of Art.