The endpiece on the uppermost roof ridge on the Hall of Supreme Harmony

The endpiece, known as a ridge beast (dawen, lit. “great osculation”), on either side of the uppermost roof ridge on the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe dian) is the largest found on extant ancient architecture. Towering 3.4 meters high and weighing 4.3 metric tons, the endpiece consists of thirteen individual glazed-tile components.