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Source Description
Han dynasty tombs were often furnished with grave goods to provide the deceased with items for the afterlife. Four earthenware panels were made in molds and then joined together to make a miniature model of a stove, which was placed in a burial chamber. The four sides show the animals of the cardinal directions. <br><br>Two snake-entwined turtles designate the north, and here flank an archway that simulates the opening for fueling the stove. Above the arch perches a raven, which is identified with the sun, perhaps depicted here to denote the heat issuing from the false opening.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
107418
label
Panel from Model Cooking Stove: Raven Flanked by Snake-Entwined Tortoises
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
107418
contentType
object
title
Panel from Model Cooking Stove: Raven Flanked by Snake-Entwined Tortoises
description
Han dynasty tombs were often furnished with grave goods to provide the deceased with items for the afterlife. Four earthenware panels were made in molds and then joined together to make a miniature model of a stove, which was placed in a burial chamber. The four sides show the animals of the cardinal directions. <br><br>Two snake-entwined turtles designate the north, and here flank an archway that simulates the opening for fueling the stove. Above the arch perches a raven, which is identified with the sun, perhaps depicted here to denote the heat issuing from the false opening.
date
100–1 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79895242
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 12.4 x 18.2 x 1.7 cm (4 7/8 x 7 3/16 x 11/16 in.)
cul
China, from a tomb in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE)
accession
1925.139
Source extras
tec
earthenware with impressed relief decoration
tombstone
Panel from Model Cooking Stove: Raven Flanked by Snake-Entwined Tortoises (陶炉上的 龜蛇烏鴉浮雕), 100–1 BCE. China, from a tomb in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE). Earthenware with impressed relief decoration; overall: 12.4 x 18.2 x 1.7 cm (4 7/8 x 7 3/16 x 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund, 1925.139
titleInOriginalLanguage
陶炉上的 龜蛇烏鴉浮雕
collection
China - Han Dynasty
didYouKnow
Han dynasty tombs were often furnished with grave goods to provide the deceased with items for the afterlife.
citations
citation
Whiting, Frederic Allen. “The Bequests of Mary Warden Harkness: A Tribute and an Accounting.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>, vol. 15, no. 2, 1928, pp. 43–50.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 50
citation
Janse, Olov and C.T. Loo. <em>Briques et objets céramiques funéraires de l'époque des Han</em>. Paris: Les Éditions d'art et d'histoire, 1936.
page_number
Reproduced: Plate XXVI
citation
Trubner, Henry. <em>Chinese Ceramics from the Prehistoric Period Through Ch'ien Lung; A Loan Exhibition from Collections in America and Japan. March 14 to April 27, 1952</em>. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum, 1952.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 55, fig. 42:1
citation
Wilson, J. Keith. “Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>, vol. 77, no. 8, 1990, pp. 286–323.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 301, cat. no. 25, fig. 19
creditline
Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-17 11:19:43.436000
sourceId
107418
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Han Dynasty
med
earthenware with impressed relief decoration
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
faaa44473ba91d35