Cizhou Ware Pillow in the Form of a Tiger

1182

1 of 8

Object Label

Ceramic pillows were initially developed during the Sui dynasty (581–618 C.E.) and remained popular from the seventh to fourteenth century. Tigers were thought to exorcise evil, based on their association with the Daoist celestial Master Zhang, who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 C.E.). Images of Master Zhang riding his tiger were popular in Chinese folklore and were thought to protect a home from evil spirits and drive away demons of illness. The delicately painted bird on a bamboo branch is inspired by a popular form of fan painting at the imperial court in the Jin dynasty. This pillow has a rare inscription on the bottom: “purchased for 31 wen on the thirteenth day of the first month of the ren ying year,” a date probably corresponding to 1182.

Caption

Cizhou Ware Pillow in the Form of a Tiger, 1182. Cizhou ware, earthenware, painted slip decoration with transparent glaze, 4 3/8 x 6 3/4 x 14 1/2 in. (11.1 x 17.1 x 36.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Asian Art Council, 1993.56. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1993.56_overall_PS9.jpg)

Title

Cizhou Ware Pillow in the Form of a Tiger

Date

1182

Dynasty

Jin Dynasty

Period

Jin Dynasty

Geography

Place made: China

Medium

Cizhou ware, earthenware, painted slip decoration with transparent glaze

Classification

Ceramic

Dimensions

4 3/8 x 6 3/4 x 14 1/2 in. (11.1 x 17.1 x 36.8 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of the Asian Art Council

Accession Number

1993.56

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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