Brick with Fu Xi and Nü Wa

Eastern Han dynasty (25–220)

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Fu Xi and Nü Wa played multiple roles in ancient Chinese history and mythology, always occurring as a pair. NüWa’s legend may derive from China’s purported matriarchal past. She is crucial to the myth of creation: after the pillars of Heaven collapsed, she mended the sky by melting stones of five colors and fashioned humans from the yellow earth. For his part, Fu Xi invented nets for fishing and hunting, and he designed the hexagrams, later used in the Yi Jing (Book of Changes), a Confucian classic.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

东汉伏羲女娲画像砖
Title: Brick with Fu Xi and Nü Wa
Period: Eastern Han dynasty (25–220)
Culture: China
Medium: Earthenware
Dimensions: H. 15 7/16 in. (39.2 cm); W. 18 7/8 in. (47.9 cm); Th. 2 3/16 in. (5.5 cm); Wt. 42.1 lbs (19.1 kg)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Lent by Sichuan Provincial Museum
Curatorial Department: Asian Art