Description
Tang Dynasty Full Set Of Painted Pottery Zodiac Figures (TL tested)
The Thermoluminescence Report (Item #185404) will accompany this sale.
A Rare Set of Chinese Pottery Zodiac Figures from the Tang Dynasty painted with black and orange pigments. The conventional order of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals was well established. Subsequently, they were paired with ten other calendrical elements, forming a rotating cycle of sixty that was used in China to count the years until the twentieth century. The animals, along with this calendrical system, were also adopted by many other East Asian and Southeast Asian countries. The figures comprise the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
As burial practices grew more elaborate, pottery animals wearing official robes became popular tomb offerings, presumably as symbols of renewal and regeneration. These figures were once colorfully painted, but only the white slip, black and orange paint remains.
It is rare to find a complete set of twelve zodiac animals. A set of similar zodiac figures of larger size, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession no. 2000.662.7a–l), is included in the Museum’s exhibition Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2023.
The dating of the monkey figure is consistent with the results of Artemis Testing Lab thermoluminescence test no. 185404
Height of tallest 9 3/4 inches
Condition: Most all appear to be in very good condition free of damage and repairs. Some repairs might exist but are not apparent. Wear and losses commensurate or are and use.
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