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Unknown Maker, Chinese

Chimera
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Chimera

Period

Southern Qi Dynasty

Year

ca. 475-525 CE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

stone

Geography

Origin: China

Dimensions

55 x 46 x 40 cm (21 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 15 3/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

43.592

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Asian Art Galleries
Jun 10, 2014

Label copy

Tomb guardians in the form of stone sculptures were essential for the protection of graves, a custom important to Confucian beliefs of ancestor veneration and worrship. Imaginary creatures with wings, horns, beards, clawed feet, and feathery protrusions were placed on roads leading to burial sites. Believed to ward off evil spirits, they rested atop pillars or directly on the ground. The perpetual care of deceased ancestors through worship and ritual would in turn guarantee prosperity for future generations.

Chinese Treasures from the Permanent Collection
Mar 03, 1989 – Apr 23, 1989
Rockefeller Asian Art Gallery

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese
Chimera, ca. 475-525 CE
Stone
55 x 46 x 40 cm (21 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 15 3/4 inches)
Museum Works of Art Fund 43.592

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