Tomb protective creature (zhenmushou)

Description Monster with a grotesque and bearded human face, cow ears and a tall horn at the top of the head, crouched in a frontal position on a quadrangular base with rounded edges. Powerful thorax and front legs ending in bovine hooves, wings that appear as almost frontal plates emerging from behind the shoulders. Chest and wings are decorated with an ornament of fine, but now faded, red scrolls. Similar figurines are found in many tombs of this era and the same type of protective monster also appears in larger sizes and with sancai glaze in some tombs of greater importance.