Lot 14
East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. A mythic sentinel forged in clay and flame, this formidable pottery guardian embodies the spiritual defenses of a Tang Dynasty tomb. With a muscular, leonine body poised alertly on its haunches, the creature gazes forward with bulging eyes and gaping jaws, its snarling expression cast to strike terror into the hearts of evil spirits and wandering demons. This is no mere beast - it is a zhenmushou, an earth spirit whose grotesque form channels celestial wrath and underworld authority alike. The figure bristles with supernatural features: towering horns arc skyward in a crown of jagged power, while wing-like ears and a curling snout give it the visage of a creature drawn from Daoist imagination and Buddhist apotropaic lore. Its spine is ridged with raised, scale-like forms, while taloned paws press into a squared plinth, anchoring it firmly in both earth and eternity. Size: 10.1" L x 7.9" W x 20.3" H (25.7 cm x 20.1 cm x 51.6 cm)
Traces of pigment linger in the recessed folds of its flame-shaped crest and facial ridges, suggesting its original surface may have shimmered with red or black paint - colors of ferocity, protection, and sacred force.
Such tomb guardians were placed in pairs - one civil, one martial - to flank entrances and corners of elite Tang burials. This example, decidedly martial in bearing, represents the genre's peak: dynamic, expressive, and deeply embedded in the visual vocabulary of cosmic protection. Its horned visage recalls ancient Central Asian influence filtered through Silk Road channels, while its crouched readiness reflects Chinese aesthetic sensibilities honed by centuries of funerary art More than sculpture, this figure was a spiritual bulwark - a snarling intermediary between the visible world and what lay beyond. Its posture is as much ritual as realism, its gaze directed not merely outward, but inward, into the imagined afterlife it was charged to defend.
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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#195081
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration to some attributes. Weathering and abrasions to surface as shown, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent presentation with rich encrustations throughout.
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