Vessel in the Form of a Mythological Animal
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
This mythological lion or chimera vessel was most likely used as a candlestick holder or as a water dropper or brush washer for calligraphy. Since the Han dynasty, these mythological beasts, known as bixie (literally, “expeller of evil”), with their elaborately coiffed beards and manes and protruding tongues, were seen as powerful protectors in both the mundane and spiritual worlds, exorcising evil spirits and warding off impending disaster with their sharp teeth and menacing fangs.
Caption
Vessel in the Form of a Mythological Animal, 265–316 C.E.. Yue ware, stoneware, glaze, 4 1/4 x 6 1/8 x 2 3/4 in. (10.8 x 15.6 x 7cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George J. Fan, 1996.26.10. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1996.26.10_SL1.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Title
Vessel in the Form of a Mythological Animal
Date
265–316 C.E.
Dynasty
Western Jin Dynasty
Period
Western Jin Dynasty
Geography
Place made: China
Medium
Yue ware, stoneware, glaze
Classification
Dimensions
4 1/4 x 6 1/8 x 2 3/4 in. (10.8 x 15.6 x 7cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George J. Fan
Accession Number
1996.26.10
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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