Figure of Xuanwu, the tortoise and snake
Medium:Cast bronze
Geography: China
Date: ca. 1500 - 1644 AD
Period: Ming Dynasty
Dimensions:18.5 x 29 x 19 cm
Object number: 925.25.6
Credit Line: The George Crofts Collection
Gallery Location:Matthews Family Court of Chinese Sculpture
DescriptionThe tortoise and snake, together called Xuanwu (the Dark Warrior), were worshipped as a deity of the North beginning with the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220). Since the advent of the Northern Song dynasty (960 – 1126), these animals symbolized the god Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior.
