Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Tiger (Gemini)

Description

The twelve-animal zodiac series—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar—signifies a traditional Chinese concept of time structured in a cyclical order. The twelve animals are also linked to the art of fortune-telling that underlies human existence in connection with the changes of the universe. The use of the twelve zodiac animals as tomb furniture suggests they provided a cosmological structure for the afterlife.

Provenance

Mrs. R. Henry [Emery May Holden] Norweb [1895–1984], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1972); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1972–)

Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Tiger (Gemini)

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500s

Accession Number

1972.76.3

Medium

gray earthenware with traces of slip

Dimensions

Overall: 22.6 cm (8 7/8 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

The Norweb Collection