Tags: figurine | pottery | Tang dynasty

This figurine is a Tang Dynasty painted pottery god, unearthed in Luoying, Henan in 1928. In the large tombs in Tang dynasty, the burial objects are generally statues of gods, generals, scholars, and tomb guardian beasts, set in pairs. Besides protecting the owner of the tomb, these burial objects also have the power to protect their offspring and avoid evil, which is why their facial expressions are mostly angry to scare the evil off. This statue of a god was made in the prosperous Tang dynasty. It is about 80 centimeters in height and is wearing a phoenix shaped helmet with a pair of open wings standing tall on both sides of the head. It is dressed in tight-fitting armor, with pug nosed open-mouthed dragon heads on both shoulders, a pair of round metal mirrors shining brightly on its chest and the back, and fully equipped with a belt, knee pads and leg pads. The statue has thick eyebrows, a high nose, a fierce stare. It is standing with one foot propped up on an ox. One hand is on its waist, the other clenched into a fist and held high. It is a pity that the weapon that was held in the hand of the god is missing.

National Museum of History