Paving Tile
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Excavations at Xianyang, the Qin capital, have revealed an architectural complex made up of several royal palaces. They were built on raised platforms and connected by corridors. Their floors were paved with solid tiles decorated with molded patterns, including this one with lozenge- and S-shaped ornaments.
The two large hollow bricks at the center of the gallery were used as steps into the palace hall. They bear lively patterns of mythical animals. The dragon probably symbolizes the east, and the tortoise entwined with a snake, known as Xuanwu, the north. Along with the White Tiger (symbol of the west) and Red Bird (symbol of the south), these beasts constituted the cosmological icons of the four cardinal directions.
The two large hollow bricks at the center of the gallery were used as steps into the palace hall. They bear lively patterns of mythical animals. The dragon probably symbolizes the east, and the tortoise entwined with a snake, known as Xuanwu, the north. Along with the White Tiger (symbol of the west) and Red Bird (symbol of the south), these beasts constituted the cosmological icons of the four cardinal directions.
Artwork Details
- 秦 回纹方地砖
- Title: Paving Tile
- Period: Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE)
- Culture: China
- Medium: Earthenware
- Dimensions: H. 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm); W. 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm); D. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics
- Credit Line: Lent by Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art