This figure’s alert, defensive posture expresses great energy. His raised left hand would have grasped a lance or pike. Though his fierce face looks rather naturalistic, the curled, curving brow evokes this tomb guardian’s superhuman force. He stands on a bull, which implies his power, but also establishes his kinship with a deity that came to China from India with Buddhism; known as Virudhaka in Sanskrit, he is the guardian of the south. South was the most auspicious orientation for palaces as well as tombs.
During the Tang dynasty, ceramic tomb figures were fired either glazed or unglazed, then painted. This example, arguably the finest of its kind, combines both techniques, and the sculpting, glazing, and painted face are all of the highest quality. The degree of detail, such as the folded fingers of his right hand, the realistic posture, and the fluttering cloth under his armor, is virtually unique. The maker’s mastery of the firing process is evident in the handling of the three-colored lead glaze, which was allowed to run on the bull’s flank but remains contained in the separate areas of the guardian’s garment. Traces of gold on the buckles of his armor indicate that the figure was made for a person of very high status.
