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21. Mythical animal #2
Excavated in Xujialing, Xichuan county, Henan Province, in 1990
Chu State, Eastern Zhou, Spring and Autumn period, 770 - 476 BCE
Bronze inlaid with malachite
height 48 cm

Mythical animal #2

This fantastical animal, which is one of a pair, may have served as a drum stand. It is composed of a tiger's body and a dragon's head, on which six small dragons writhe. On its back stands another animal, a dragon emerging from its mouth. The body is inlaid with malachite in the form of dragons, phoenixes, and spirals, which add to the feeling of frenzied movement.

Institute of Archeology and Cultural Relics, Henan Province


Detail: head

Detail: body

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