A Tang Dynasty Goose
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Here is a small goose to brighten up your day.
This little goose is from 7th-8th century China, under the Tang Dynasty, and is made from hand-modelled earthenware. It would have been used a burial good.
Geese have featured prominently in Chinese rituals for many centuries: during the Han dynasty, from 206 BC to 220 AD, it became a symbol of nobility because of their similarity to the swan. Later on, during the Tang Dynasty, they were more often associated with marriage rites, as they were given as wedding gifts or involved in various elements of the wedding ceremony.
Burial goods or tomb figures were common in Tang Dynasty China, and it was thought that the figures represented would be available to the deceased in the afterlife.
