Seated Sea Horse
Roof Tile
1500-1644 (made)
1500-1644 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In Asia, the roof, by virtue of its position on a building, is deemed a point of communication between heaven and earth. It is a bridge to the world of spirits and a platform for them to descend to earth. Chinese builders sought to harness auspicious spiritual forces and repel evil spirits with applied ornamentation freighted with symbolic meaning. On roofs the most common decoration was tiling. The Ming dynasty was a flourishing period for tile production. The horse was frequently one of a sequence of creatures shown on ridge tiles. It is one of the beasts of the Chinese zodiac.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Seated Sea Horse (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Stoneware, with lead glazes |
| Brief description | Roof tile of glazed stoneware in the shape of a seated horse, Chinese, Ming dynasty |
| Physical description | Roof tile in the form of a seated horse, overall glaze of ochre, with black mane and some green streak detail. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co. (Mr. Wylde's Purchases in China), accessioned in 1912. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. In 1912 C.H. Wylde, the first Keeper of Ceramics and first member of V&A staff to visit East Asia, acquired architectural fittings and fragments from China. |
| Production | from label |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In Asia, the roof, by virtue of its position on a building, is deemed a point of communication between heaven and earth. It is a bridge to the world of spirits and a platform for them to descend to earth. Chinese builders sought to harness auspicious spiritual forces and repel evil spirits with applied ornamentation freighted with symbolic meaning. On roofs the most common decoration was tiling. The Ming dynasty was a flourishing period for tile production. The horse was frequently one of a sequence of creatures shown on ridge tiles. It is one of the beasts of the Chinese zodiac. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.392-1912 |
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| Record created | March 9, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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