Chinese tile moulded with a demon wrestling with a serpent

An image of Tile. Unknown maker, China. The lozenge-shaped tile is relief-moulded with a demon wrestling with a serpent, whose finely scaled body is entwined around the demon, whose hands grasp its head and part of the body. The serpent with wide open mouth and tongue bites the demon's stomach. The tile is from the Pagoda at Xiuding Temple near Anyang. Dark grey earthenware, moulded in relief, height, whole, 61.2 cm, width, whole, 43.3 cm, Tang Dynasty (618-907). Acquisition: bequeathed 1950, Reitlinger, Henry Scipio.

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Tile. Unknown maker, China. The lozenge-shaped tile is relief-moulded with a demon wrestling with a serpent, whose finely scaled body is entwined around the demon, whose hands grasp its head and part of the body. The serpent with wide open mouth and tongue bites the demon's stomach. The tile is from the Pagoda at Xiuding Temple near Anyang. Dark grey earthenware, moulded in relief, height, whole, 61.2 cm, width, whole, 43.3 cm, Tang Dynasty (618-907). Acquisition: bequeathed 1950, Reitlinger, Henry Scipio.

Image data

Accession Number: C.591-1991
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/19.0
Focal length: 80
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Andrew Norman
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 736 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 544.32kB
Exposure time: 1/60
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 19/1
Captured: 2015:12:23 11:36:40

Key words

AD Chinese demons devils earthenware fighting Fitz_AA lozenge mould made moulded relief serpent snake snakes T'ang Dynasty Tang Dynasty tiles wrestling

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Chinese tile moulded with a demon wrestling with a serpent"
            Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-214212 Accessed: 2025-12-05 07:58:42

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            {{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-214212
            |title=Chinese tile moulded with a demon wrestling with a serpent
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            University of Cambridge}}

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