Cloud-Shaped Pillow with Peony Scroll, Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), late 10th/early 11th century. Cizhou ware; stoneware, slip-coated with underglaze carved, incised, and inlaid decoration, 9.6 × 21.6 × 17.8 cm. Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection, 1924.307. © Art Institute of Chicago

With its sturdy stoneware body and incised and carved decorations, this pillow is an example of Cizhou ware, a type of ceramic crafted in northern China. While ceramic pillows were initially perceived solely as items for burial, it is now believed they were also utilized in daily life. The ceramic material served as an efficient cooling aid during hot summer days, while auspicious decorative motifs made these objects ideal gifts for special occasions. Symbolizing wealth, love, and feminine beauty, the motif of peonies frequently adorns Cizhou pillows, including this one here.