Hollow Brick with Tigers and Bi Disk, Architectural Element

Hollow Brick with Tigers and Bi Disk, Architectural Element
Hollow Brick with Tigers and Bi Disk, Architectural Element

Hollow Brick with Tigers and Bi Disk, Architectural Element

DateQin dynasty (221–206 BCE)
Mediumgray earthenware, molded design
Dimensionsobject: 15 x 57 1/2 x 8 1/4 in. (38.1 x 146.1 x 21 cm)
ClassificationCERAMICS
Credit LineSBMA, Museum Purchase with John and Peggy Maximus Fund
Object number2009.9.1
Subject(s)
  • animal
  • tiger
  • architecture
  • mythology
Collection
  • Asian
Sub-Collection(s)
  • Chinese
On View
On view
Label Text

This hollow brick resembles the excavated architectural remains that were once part of the walls, floors, and steps of the imperial complex at Xianyang, the capital of China’s First Dynasty’s Emperor, Qin Shihuang. Qin is pronounced chin, and is the source of the Western name China.

Decorated on four sides, it features a molded design of animated tigers amid scrolling clouds with bi disks and geometric patterns, expressive of the cosmic significance of the palace grounds. The tiger, representing the cardinal direction of the West in early Chinese mythology, may have been part of a larger decorative scheme bearing the creatures of the other four directions also found on site: dragon for the East, bird for the South, and tortoise entwined with a snake known as Xuanwu for the North. The presence of the bi disk signifies the heavenly realm. 

The dynamic linear movement of the images gives evidence of the use of the brush, a drafting tool that was to become the single most important implement for Chinese scholars and artists for the next two thousand years.


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