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Large, square, four-tile ceramic relief featuring two coiled gold-yellow dragons, a blue lotus, and a bamboo border against a green background.

Spirit Wall

Qiao family workshop

Spirit walls (zhàobì) or spirit screens (yǐngbì) stood in front of the entrances of temples, sacred precincts, and private residences in China. Their placement served to prevent evil spirits, believed to travel only in straight lines, from entering, as well as to block the view of passersby. Many were decorated with auspicious symbols, characters, or phrases. This central element from one such wall was created in the Shanxi province by twenty apprentice clay workers in the workshop of the Qiao family during the Ming Dynasty. It is composed of four separate square pieces of hollow ceramic. In its center are two dragons, along with lotus blossoms and pods. In the upper corners are phoenixes, while the lower corners are occupied by lions.
Artist
Qiao family workshop
(Chinese)
Title
Spirit Wall
Date
1567
Period
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Longqing Reign Period (1567-1572)
Medium
Earthenware with glaze
Dimensions
52 x 52 in. Overall
Credit
Ineva T. Reilly Endowment Fund purchase
Accession No.
1999.70a-d
Classification
Architectural Decoration
Geography
China

Related

1999, sold by Kaikodo (New York, NY) to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Bulletin/Biennial Report 1999-2001." Madison: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 2002. p. 81
  • Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Artscene." Vol. 16, No. 3, Spring 2000. p. 13

This large, square, multi-paneled ceramic relief is composed of four tiles and dominated by a central dragon motif. The square is framed by an outer border made to appear like bamboo canes in a yellow-brown glaze. An inner ring, also made of bamboo canes, encircles a band of green wave patterns and a distinct central white ring. Within the white ring, two gold-yellow dragons twist and coil around each other, mimicking a yin-yang arrangement, with their snarling heads near the composition’s center. One dragon appears to hiss, exposing sharp, white fangs, and the other grasps a white orb with its sharp, white claws. Their long, gold-yellow serpentine bodies, covered in a dense pattern of raised, overlapping scales, contrast with their long, blue manes and curved, white horns. Between the dragons is a large blue lotus flower emerging from green waters. The lower corners feature smaller creatures that look like lions with blue fur and gold manes. The upper corners contain green and gold phoenixes with outstretched wings and long, flowing tail feathers that curve along the bamboo frame. The background is a deep, dark green, carved with foliage, lotus pods, and swirling clouds or waves. The entire piece is rendered in high relief with significant texture and covered in a glossy, multicolored glaze.

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