Images(2)

Tomb guardian

Date6th - 9th century

Label TextThe 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.

Object number35.3.1

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)

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions37 1/2 x 12 x 8 in. (95.25 x 30.48 x 20.32 cm) Overall h.: 41 1/4 in.

MediumEarthenware with paint