Lot 11
East Asia, China, Sui Dynasty, ca. 581 to 618 CE. A fierce and fantastical presence conjured from the clay of early medieval China, this painted pottery zhenmushou (spirit guardian) once stood sentinel in a tomb, warding off evil and escorting the soul of the departed into the afterlife. Formed in the likeness of a mythical beast with leonine body, clawed limbs, and a human-like face framed in flame-like hair, it exudes the supernatural bravado expected of the genre. The head rears upward with a sharply curled horn or flame crest, echoing motifs of power and transformation. Rendered in pale buff earthenware with faint traces of red pigment, the figures expressive face is deeply modeled, the brows furrowed and lips pursed in a theatrical grimace. The eyes bulge slightly beneath sweeping arches, and vestiges of cinnabar-red highlight the stylized coiffure and facial contours, offering a glimpse of its once-vivid polychrome surface. Horns or ridged spines accentuate the shoulders and back, lending the figure an imposing dynamism even in stillness. Size: () Size: 6.8" L x 56" W x 10.5" H (17.3 cm x 142.2 cm x 26.7 cm)
Such spirit guardians were part of a broader tomb retinue that included earth spirits, chimera-like beasts, and civil or military attendants. Their primary function was both apotropaic and cosmological - to repel malignant spirits and affirm the moral order of the afterlife. This type, sometimes categorized under the broader class of mingqi (tomb furnishings), belongs to a tradition that evolved during the Northern Dynasties and matured during the short but artistically vibrant Sui Dynasty
. The Sui period marked a moment of political unification and renewed Buddhist patronage, and its tomb art reflects a synthesis of Daoist cosmology, Buddhist symbolism, and traditional Chinese funerary belief. The anthropomorphic face may even reflect the influence of foreign motifs transmitted via Silk Road exchanges, where demons, guardians, and deities blended stylistically across cultures . Both fearsome and oddly endearing, this guardian endures as a relic of spiritual vigilance - its slightly comical severity a hallmark of the liminal, half-human protectors that straddled realms of the living and the dead.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#195187
- Condition: Proper left front leg professionally reattached with break line visible. Some stable fissures as shown, as well as abrasions and weathering to surface commensurate with age. Otherwise, nice presentation with great detail and liberal remaining pigments.
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