Tomb guardian figure

Historical period(s)
Eastern Zhou dynasty, ca. 4th century BCE
Medium
Wood, pigment, and deer antler
Dimensions
H x W x D (assembled): 57.5 x 27.5 x 30.8 cm (22 5/8 x 10 13/16 x 12 1/8 in)
Geography
China, Middle Yangtze River valley, Hunan province
Credit Line
Gift of Thomas Colville in honor of Jenny So
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S2000.125a-l
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Sculpture
Type

Figure

Keywords
China, deer, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), funerary, tomb guardian
Provenance

From 1936-37
John Hadley Cox (1913-2005), acquired in Changsha, Hunan province, China. [1]

To 1987
Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York, New York. [2]

From 1987 to 1994
Estate of Arthur M. Sackler. [3]

1994
Sale, New York, Christie’s, Important Chinese Works of Art from The Arthur M. Sackler Collections, December 1, 1994, Sale #8064, lot 159: “A Rare Painted Wood Earth Spirit.” [4]

From 1994
Thomas Colville, New Haven, Connecticut, purchased at Sale, Christie’s, New York, Important Chinese Works of Art from The Arthur M. Sackler Collections, December 1, 1994, Sale #8064, lot 159. [5]

From 2000
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Thomas Colville, New Haven, Connecticut. [6]

Notes:

[1] See Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See note 1.

[4] See Christie’s, New York auction catalogue of Dec. 1, 1994, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

[5] See note 1.

[6] See Gift Receipt, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Thomas L. Colville
Christie's (New York)
The Arthur M. Sackler Collections Trust
John Hadley Cox 1913-2005
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler 1913-1987

Published References
  • Important Chinese Works of Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Thursday, December 1, 1994. New York, 1994. 159, 164-165.
  • Sueji Umehara. Some strange wooden animal figures reported to have been excavated at Ch'angsha. no. 21 Kyoto. pls. 1-3, fig. 1.
  • Mizuno Seiichi. Some Wooden Figures from Ch'angsha, Hunan. Kyoto. fig. 7.
  • Chiang Yuen Yi. Ch'ang-sha: The Ch'u Tribe and Its Art. vol. 2, Shanghai. pls. X:A-F, XII: A,C.
  • Alfred Salmony. Antler and Tongue: An Essay on Ancient Chinese Symbolism and Its Implications. vol. 13 Washington and Zurich, 1954. figs. 9-10.
  • John Hadley Cox. An Exhibition of Chinese Antiquities from Ch'ang-sha, lent by John Hadley Cox. Exh. cat. Meriden, Connecticut, 1939. fig. 1.
  • Estelle Nikles van Osselt, Marie Orsi. An Ode To the Ancestors: Two Chu Culture Artefacts. Geneva, Switzerland, March 2020. p. 186, fig. 6.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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