Stone Panel for Royal Tomb

묘지석 (墓地石)

late 700s-early 800s

Korea, Unified Silla period

(676-935)

Medium

granite

Measurements

Overall: 147.3 x 45.3 cm (58 x 17 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Roberta Carroll, M.D. in memory of Mr. Gregory Henderson 1988.249

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

A rat, one of the signs of the East Asian zodiac, carved in this stone panel symbolizes wealth.

Description

This panel shows a figure with a human body and the features of a rat, which is one of the signs of the Asian zodiac, and is likely one of 12 granite panels from a royal tomb. It is probably from Gyeongju—the capital of the kingdoms of the Silla (57 BCE–668) and Unified Silla (688–935) periods—where large royal tomb mounds can still be found. This panel resembles those showing the animal signs of the Korean zodiac from the tomb of General Kim Yusin (595–673) in Gyeongju, the most famous tomb of the period.