Figure of a Recumbent Dog
1 of 3
Object Label
The dog was one of the first domesticated animals in China. As early as the fifth or fourth millennium B.C., it functioned as a guard and hunting animal and was also regarded as a symbol of fidelity. Canine remains have been found at the feet of the deceased in several Neolithic burial mounds and Shang tombs (circa 1600–1045 B.C.). Earthenware representations of dogs exist from as early as the Neolithic period, but date generally from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220) to the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618–907) as mingqi, or funerary ware.
Caption
Figure of a Recumbent Dog, early 6th century. Gray earthenware with red polychrome, 3 5/8 x 6 1/4 x 3 5/8 in. (9.2 x 15.8 x 9.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Guennol Collection, 1998.85.1. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Collection
Collection
Title
Figure of a Recumbent Dog
Date
early 6th century
Dynasty
Six Dynasties
Period
Six Dynasties Period
Geography
Place made: China
Medium
Gray earthenware with red polychrome
Classification
Dimensions
3 5/8 x 6 1/4 x 3 5/8 in. (9.2 x 15.8 x 9.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Guennol Collection
Accession Number
1998.85.1
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at