Henan Museum
Red-Green Glazed Pottery Lamp
Edit: Acf
Time: 2024-09-29 17:35:23
Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BC-25 AD)
Provenance: Sijiangou of Zhicheng, Jiyuan, Henan province, 1969
Measurements: H.27.8 cm
About:

10519_副本.jpg

The top of the lamp was created into a golden crow perched on a disc, it was glazed into red and green color, the bird has its neck stretched, head raised, wings stretched, and tail curves upward, seems to be ready to fly. In the center of the disc, there is a spike for fixing the candle. Under the disc is a green glazed column, with a seated rabbit sculpted on the upper part, and a green glazed short-footed toad-shaped pedestal supporting the column. Legend has it that the golden crow symbolizes the Sun, whilst the toad and rabbit symbolize the Moon, the juncture of them in Chinese character is “Ming” (illuminating), means illuminating day and night.

Due to the prevalent funerary notion of “serves the dead as though they were alive” during the Han dynasty, the lamp, which was one of the daily utensils, became inevitably the necessity among the funeral objects for the afterlife. The examples unearthed from the period are characterized by animated forms, greatly varied postures, which were epitomized in the shapes of the human figurine, animal, tree, and the goose’s feet, etc.