The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 12, 2026

A horizontal limestone sculpture has a dark gray surface and a jagged lower edge. Three panels contain white-lined carvings of animals amidst swirling vine patterns. From left to right, a spotted deer-like creature runs, an elephant stands wearing a saddle cloth, and a winged animal faces our left. These fine motifs contrast with the dark stone, creating a dense decorative sequence across the rectangular surface.

Section of a Sarcophagus Foundation or Epitaph Stone

late 600s–early 700s

China, Tang dynasty

(618–907)
limestone with carved decoration
Overall: 33 x 17.8 cm (13 x 7 in.)
Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin 1959.184
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

A qilin, an elephant, and a chimera bound through coiling foliate and floral motifs in each cartouche.

Description

This slab may have come from either the foundation of a house-shaped coffin or an epitaph stone that was inscribed with a dedication to the deceased. The combination of realistic and imaginary animals is typical of Tang funerary art.
  • ?–1959
    (C.T. Loo 盧芹齋 [1880–1957], Paris, France, and New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1959–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 46, no. 10 (December 1959): 210–231. Reproduced: pp. 222–223; Mentioned: p. 229. www.jstor.org
  • Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
  • {{cite web|title=Section of a Sarcophagus Foundation or Epitaph Stone|url=false|author=|year=late 600s–early 700s|access-date=12 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.184