Terracotta with pigments and traces of gold, the figures are wearing armor enhanced with bird's head at waist, both with helmets and tall boots, their serious expressions have exaggerated features such as large bulging eyes, thick raised eyebrows, and grimaces, they are standing atop a small bull rested on a textured base, both with one hand to waist and other raised.

33 1/4 x 16 x 7 in.

From a Private Collection, Washington, D.C.

The tombs of Tang royalty, nobility and elite were often furnished with fierce figures. These guardians were placed near the entrance of the burial chamber to protect the deceased and his treasures from evil spirits. They derive from the Buddhist Lokapala, and have typical Middle Eastern facial features such as a mustache and big round eyes. These scary foreign features would have made a huge impression on the Chinese people.

Very good estate condition; some cracking and loss to pigments; missing items that may have originally been in their raised hands; loss of original pigments and gold with only traces remaining; scattered repairs and professional restoration.