Mortuary Figures of the Zodiac Signs, 500, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese ArtThe twelve-animal zod
Mortuary Figures of the Zodiac Signs, 500, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese ArtThe twelve-animal zodiac series—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar—signifies a traditional Chinese concept of time structured in a cyclical order. The twelve animals are also linked to the art of fortunetelling that underlies human existence in connection with the changes of the universe. The use of the twelve zodiac animals as tomb furniture suggests they provided a cosmological structure for the afterlife.Size: Overall: 22.6 cm (8 7/8 in.)Medium: gray earthenware with traces of sliphttps://clevelandart.org/art/1972.76 -- source link
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