![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/art-museum\/files\/2025\/10\/unnamed-9.jpg\")
<\/a>China, Southern Song Dynasty, 13th century
Cizhou ware: ceramic, glaze, and slip
5 \u00bd x 12 x 16 inches
Art Museum purchase, 2006.5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
This piece, which measures 5 \u00bd x 12 x 16 inches, is traditional Chinese Cizhou ware, composed of ceramic, glaze, and slip. An inscription on the bottom of the pillow reads \u5f20\u5bb6\u9020 \u201cZhang jia zao<\/em>,\u201d which translates to \u201cmade by the Zhang Family.\u201d The landscape, bamboo, bird, and floral motifs depicted here are commonly seen in Song Dynasty pillows. Other common symbols include children and animals, though nature seems to be the most prominent. Due to the belief that certain animals had the power to ward off evil spirits, pillows depicting lions and dragons grew increasingly popular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cizhou ware ceramics are characterized by their use of monochromatic colors, typically black and white, and porcelain materials. Decoration and symbolism vary by time and region, and later dynasties tended to include more color in their ceramic pieces. Artists in ancient China used a variety of techniques to build ceramics, and common methods include wheel-thrown or slab-built. Many ceramic pillows would have been built using slabs or molds due to their general shape and size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Upper and middle-class women of the Song Dynasty typically wore their hair in elaborate updos. This image of a painting from the Met\u2019s collection<\/a> shows several examples of traditional hairstyles of upper and middle-class women from the dynasty. In addition to providing support and ensuring a better sleeping position, ceramic pillows were used to maintain these elaborate hairstyles. Ceramic pillows also offered temperature stability, cooling the owner\u2019s head on a hot summer night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Further Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Valestein, S. 1989, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics<\/em>. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, pp. 83 – 122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kathleen Perkins<\/strong> is a Senior at Miami University majoring in Anthropology and Professional Writing with minors in Archaeology and Museums & Society. Kathleen is currently serving as a Curatorial Intern at the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, and she is also involved in the Anthropology Department’s Collections Management team. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n SUPPORT US<\/strong> FOLLOW US ONLINE<\/strong>
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