Decorated Lintel

This was one of the articles used to make offerings to the gods. This lintel was used in a shrine dating from the Republican era. It is decorated with gold lacquer and openwork carving. Three dieties are depicted on the lintel. The shrine housed ancestral tablets and was used to make offerings to the ancestors. The lintel was an important component of the shrine, and was positioned at the top of the shrine. The lintel of the shrine exhibits advanced technical abilities, and is formed in the shape of a miniature building. A couplet reading , “The heaven creates a long-lasting world, and the people enjoy the (flourishing) spring” is affixed to the building. At the bottom of the building are the three stars of Jupiter, Ursa Major, and Canopus (Fu, Lu, and Shou) and an immortal child, surrounded by immortal officials. The upper part features dragons and phoenixes and the sides are decorated with fish.