Section of a Sarcophagus Foundation or Epitaph Stone (late 600s–early 700s): Art, History and Details

Section of a Sarcophagus Foundation or Epitaph Stone (late 600s–early 700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This slab may have come from either the foundation of a house-shaped coffin or an epitaph stone that was inscribed with a dedication to the deceased. The combination of realistic and imaginary animals is typical of Tang funerary art.

Object facts

• Title: Section of a Sarcophagus Foundation or Epitaph Stone
• Date: late 600s–early 700s
• Culture: China, Tang dynasty (618–907)
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: limestone with carved decoration
• Dimensions: Overall: 33 x 17.8 cm (13 x 7 in.)
• Collection: China - Tang Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1959.184

A detail from the museum

A qilin, an elephant, and a chimera bound through coiling foliate and floral motifs in each cartouche.

Collection credit

Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 46, no. 10 (December 1959): 210–231.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.