Lacquer Pillow with Colored S-shaped Clouds

Excavated from the No.20 tomb in Huchang village, Xihu town of the suburbs of Yangzhou city in 1997, this wood-body pillow has a cuboid shape, a curved upper face and a transverse section in the form of an upside-down anchor. Geometric patterns composed of ink and yellow lines scatter on the ochre foundation of the upper face. While the two large sides of the cuboid are mainly decorated with larger S-shaped clouds around which motifs of birds appear occasionally, one of the two smaller sides is embellished with a rectangular door, flanked by two door-keeping flying dragons, and the other side features S-shaped clouds and bird patterns. The distinctive shape and brilliant decoration makes this lacquer pillow an extremely rare piece among Han-dynasty lacquerware.