Description:

Archaeologists have found figures of pigs like this in burials. This example is made of glass but they were also made in jade. Figures of pigs are often found in pairs and are sometimes found in the hands of the dead.

The pig has been one of the most important animals in the Chinese diet since ancient times. People may have included figures shaped like pigs in burials to ensure the dead person had a constant supply of meat in the afterlife. In China pigs, with their fat bodies, are symbols of abundance as well as virility.

Glass (?), wheel-cut
Height: 2.7 cm, width: 2.5 cm, length: 11.5 cm

Creator: Unknown

Date: Han dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD)

Copyright: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

Object ID:N4811