Tomb guardian

6th - 9th century

The Chinese were fascinated with the appearance of foreigners and often represented them as caricatures with exaggerated characteristics: large noses, heavy eyebrows, and facial hair. Foreigners were stereotypically perceived as brutes possessing superior physical strength and lacking the sophistication and culture of the Chinese—fierce, strange, and sometimes humorous.

Earthenware with paint

37 1/2 x 12 x 8 in. (95.25 x 30.48 x 20.32 cm)

Overall h.: 41 1/4 in.

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

35.3.1

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Museum: Mixed Metaphors, Fred Wilson, Jan. 28 - June 13, 1993.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Timeless Grandeur: Art from China, Apr. 25, 2002 - June 12, 2005.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Published ReferencesHandbook, Seattle Art Museum: Selected Works from the Permanent Collections, Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1951, p. 56 (b&w)

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