Only Chinese version is available
Pillow in shape of tiger
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Year
Jin dynasty (1115 – 1234)
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Media
Ceramics
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Dimensions
Length: 5 cm Width: 34 cm
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Museum No.
HM1997.97.120
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Description
Cizhou ware was produced for commoners in the past. Rustic and hardwearing, it had a wide range of patterns and decorative techniques. The type with black decorations on white slip was the signature product of the Cizhou kiln, made primarily for everyday use.
Porcelain pillows first appeared during the Sui (581 – 618) and Tang (618 – 907) periods. While they were initially used as burial objects, they later became products for everyday use, and reached the height of popularity in the Song period. The decorations came in the form of inscriptions of poems, calligraphy and paintings. Porcelain pillows came in all shapes and styles, the animal shapes being one of them. They were most suitable for use in summer because they could keep the sleeper’s head cool. The ancient people believed that beast-shaped pillows could chase away demons. According to historical archives, the Seventh Aunt, younger sister of Empress Wei, wife of Emperor Zhongzong (656 – 710) of the Tang dynasty, would use a pillow shaped like a leopard’s head to ward off demons, another shaped like the mythical beast baize to get rid of ghosts, and a bear-shaped pillow to bring her sons. The Taoist belief concurs that tigers can eat and chase off ghosts. The Compendium of Materia Medica mentions the use of the tiger skull as a pillow for killing ghosts and preventing nightmares. There was also the belief that nightmares were signs of an invasion by the devil, which could be chased away by the tiger. All these indicate that tiger-shaped pillows were quite common for their evil-warding function.
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—Collection of Hong Kong Heritage Museum, donated by The Tsui Art Foundation
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