[Untitled]

618

907

7

6

14.4

HKU.C.1961.0433 no.74

The elbow rest is modeled as a crouching rabbit with asymmetrical rounded eyes and surmounted by a flat oval top decorated with a hand-drawn asymmetrical flower, glazed with green, brown and cream white. These colors were produced by sancai glaze which was widely used for burial figures namely vessels and figurines in the Tang Dynasty. Thus, elbow rest is not only solely used for literati to stabilize the hand during painting and writing calligraphy but also satisfying the needs of the deceased as burial goods (Valenstein, 1988).

Appeasing the deceased is important in China as many people believe in animism in which a spirit survives after one’s death and reacts differently according to the treatment towards them (Brown, 2020). Moreover, filial piety requires continuous caring for the ancestors by the alive (Brown, 2020). Therefore, people put burial goods into the tombs to serve and accompany them in the afterlife. Apart from providing service to the deceased, it can reveal the power and status of the dead by the sizes, types and qualities of the figures (Valenstein, 1988). For example, female servants, horses and ox would commonly be found in the tomb of wealthy merchants in the Tang Dynasty (Yung-Ch’Uan, 1990).

Inhuman burial ceremonies that had been popular during the Shang Dynasty (1751-1111 BCE) were gradually replaced by larger-scale clay objects such as chimeras and guardian gods in the Tang Dynasty (Yung-Ch’Uan, 1990).






Reference:
Brown, N. (2020, January 1). Religion – Perspectives: An Open Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, 2nd Edition. Pressbooks. https://perspectives.pressbooks.com/chapter/religion/

Valenstein, S. G. (1988). A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics (Revised & Enlarged ed.). Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Yung-Ch’Uan, H. (1990). The Tri-color Pottery of T’ang Dynasty: The Colorful Art in the Middle Ages of China. National Museum of History.