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14 mars 2014

Standing Dogs, China, Western Han Period (206 BC-25 AD)

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Standing Dogs, China, Western Han Period (206 BC-25 AD). Photo courtesy Vanderven Oriental Art.

Height: 22cm Length: 33cm. TL-tested by Oxford, U.K. SOLD

Standing four square, with ever alert ears, as if standing ready for their master’s every command, these dogs are exceptionally realistic. They may have served a protective function with regards to the deceased and their post-mortem possessions.

Literary evidence relating to periods preceding the Han, such as the inscriptions on Shang dynasty oracle bones, refer to the ning 宁. This was a sacrifice involving the dismembering of a dog to placate the four winds or honour the four directions. The Book of Odes, Shi Jing, 诗经 originating from between the Shang (c.1600 -1046 BC) and the Early Zhou period (c.1050-256 BC), describes a nan, 难, sacrifice involving the killing of a dog to drive away pestilence. Finally, according to the ba, 軷, sacrifice, mentioned in the Ceremonial Rites of the Zhou dynasty, Zhou Li, 周礼, compiled in the Warring States period (475- 221 BC), a dog was crushed under the wheels of the Emperor’s chariot to ward off evil. It is possible that similar practices and beliefs, in which dogs were used to ward off evil, may have also been held by the later Han society. This may be reflected in the wary expression of these dogs.

Dogs were also greatly prized for their hunting abilities, as watchdogs and family companions. Chow dogs were also reared for food, throughout Southern China. In the later Han period dogs started appearing in greater frequency in tombs, this could be due to the fact that in this period the landed gentry lived on large estates which required more security.
It is possible that dogs may have also been associated with high rank and status during the Han dynasty, as there are elegant jade carvings in form of hounds dating from this period. Similar dogs also feature on the walls of high ranking tombs of the Tang dynasty.

Comparable examples of dogs have been found in the royal mausoleum of Emperor Jing Di (r.157-141 BC), in the Han Yangling tombs and are currently in the collection of the Shaanxi History Museum, Xian, Shaanxi (China).

Vanderven Oriental Art. MasterArt at TEFAF 2014 on stand 814. 14-23 march 2014 - http://www.masterart.com/

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