Tomb Tile with Phoenix Design

This tile, which was originally placed on the interior wall of a tomb chamber, depicts the "red bird of the south" (Chinese: zhuque), one of the mythical animals of the four directions. The bird's head, tail, and clawed feet extend to a border of honeysuckle vines. Molded polychrome tiles of this type were typical tomb decorations in the south of China from the later Northern Wei dynasty (A.D. 386–535) to the early Tang dynasty (A.D. 618–906).