Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Serpent (Virgo)

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 fortunetelling 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: Serpent (Virgo)

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500s

Accession Number

1972.76.6

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