The complete Chinese zodiac
The Larger Mongolian Empire, Yuan dynasty 1279-1368
It is very rare that a complete group of twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are preserved together. They are made of glazed terracotta.
These animals were probably intended as grave gifts. Within the Chinese tradition such gifts are known under the name of Minqi, which translates as ‘ceramics for the underworld’.
H. 11.8 (rooster), 12.5 (tiger), 11.5 (snake), 9.5 (monkey), 8.8 (dog), 12.2 (dragon), 9.2 (rat), 10.8 (horse), 8.7 (hare), 11.8 (goat), 8.8 (ox) and 7.9 cm (pig)
Provenance:
Vecht Works of Art, Amsterdam, TEFAF Maastricht
Collection Jan Brummelhuis, Amsterdam
(12x)