Qiongqi-a tomb guardian beast
This tomb guardian beast figure, collection catalog number NMNS000420, weighs 1705 grams and is 10.5 centimeters wide, 27.5 centimeters long, and 18.4 centimeters tall. It is made of gray pottery, with white engobe on the surface, most of which has fallen off. It is a work from the Six Dynasties period.
This figure possesses the head of a tiger and the body and hooves of an ox. On its neck are three tufts of standing bristles. Along its back are four flat bubble-shaped patches and on both sies of its buttocks are cloud-shaped patterns. It has a fierce expression, with bulging eyes, bared teeth, and dilated nostrils. The ears lie close to the head and the tail is raised high and slightly curled. The head is lowered and the neck is curved. It leans forward, like an angry cow ready to kick. This beast is animated and lifelike. It is a typical tomb guardian beast from the Han dynasty to the Six Dynasties period.
“Qiongqi was born of the vast desert wind.” In the Zhuixing section of Huainanzi, qiongqi is described as a beast born in response to the wind. The vast desert wind refers to the cold wind of the north. In the Classic of the Mountains: West volume of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it is written that 260 miles to the west is Mount Gui. On it is a beast that looks like a cow with the bristles of a hedgehog, called qiongqi. It barks like a dog and eats humans. In the Classic of Regions within the Seas: North volume, it is written that qiongqi looks like a tiger with wings and has since the beginning eaten people. That is to say that from Mount Gui came a man-eating beast that looks like a cow and has bristles and wings. Its name is qiongqi. From these descriptions, we know that this beast was born in the west or the north and is ferocious. In addition, in the Book of the Later Han, it is written that qiongqi and tengen jointly eat toxic insects. This reveals that this beast has the ability to drive away illness. Therefore, perhaps due to its appearance and abilities it became a tomb guardian.
