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Exhibition Guide

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Tomb Guardian with Lion’s Face (Bixie) and Tomb Guardian with Human Face (Tianlu)

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    Looking at the Guardians

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    Seeing Brilliant Color

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    Seeing Buddhist Imagery

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Art Object Info

Unidentified Artist

Medium:
White earthenware with unfired pigments, gold leaf
Size:
Depth: 11 1/2"
Width: 9 7/16"
Height: 28 13/16"
Date:
Late 7th-Early 8th Century

A pair of tomb guardians—one with the face of a human and the other with the head of a lion—guarded the entrance to the tomb of a member of China’s elite. Only two of these paired guardians were needed to protect the tomb. Meng Kang, a 3rd-century historian, named these creatures: “If it has one horn, it may be a tianlu (heavenly deer); if it has two horns, it may be a bixie (one who averts evil).”

Horns, large eyes, wings, serpentine bodies, serrated spines, and hooves often appear on evil-averting creatures. The pairing of these creatures—one with a lion’s mouth opened mid-roar and the other with ears on alert—suggests that fierceness and vigilance were essential to the safety of the departed soul. Guardians were believed to protect the tomb from grave robbers and evil spirits, ensuring the soul of the deceased would rest undisturbed. They also prevented a dissatisfied soul from leaving the tomb to threaten living family members.

Purchase with Exchange Funds from Bequest of John M. Glenn, Gift of Alexander B. Griswold, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. L. Manuel Hendler, the Mary Frick Jacobs Collection, Gift of Randolph Mordecai, Gift from the Estate of Ruth Marshall Mugford, and Gift of Elizabeth Remsen; and Julius Levy Memorial Fund BMA 1991.119.1-2

Tomb Guardian with Lion’s Face (Bixie) and Tomb Guardian with Human Face (Tianlu)

Unidentified Artist
Date:
Late 7th-Early 8th Century
Medium:
White earthenware with unfired pigments, gold leaf
Size:
Depth: 11 1/2"
Width: 9 7/16"
Height: 28 13/16"

A pair of tomb guardians—one with the face of a human and the other with the head of a lion—guarded the entrance to the tomb of a member of China’s elite. Only two of these paired guardians were needed to protect the tomb. Meng Kang, a 3rd-century historian, named these creatures: “If it has one horn, it may be a tianlu (heavenly deer); if it has two horns, it may be a bixie (one who averts evil).”

Horns, large eyes, wings, serpentine bodies, serrated spines, and hooves often appear on evil-averting creatures. The pairing of these creatures—one with a lion’s mouth opened mid-roar and the other with ears on alert—suggests that fierceness and vigilance were essential to the safety of the departed soul. Guardians were believed to protect the tomb from grave robbers and evil spirits, ensuring the soul of the deceased would rest undisturbed. They also prevented a dissatisfied soul from leaving the tomb to threaten living family members.

Purchase with Exchange Funds from Bequest of John M. Glenn, Gift of Alexander B. Griswold, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. L. Manuel Hendler, the Mary Frick Jacobs Collection, Gift of Randolph Mordecai, Gift from the Estate of Ruth Marshall Mugford, and Gift of Elizabeth Remsen; and Julius Levy Memorial Fund BMA 1991.119.1-2