Painted Tiger-shaped Pillow

Tiger-shaped pillows of this type were mainly produced by Cizhou kiln in Hebei province, Bacun kiln in Yu county of Henan province, and Changzhi kiln in Shangxi province of north China. The tiger’s head either faces left or right; the glaze are either in light yellow or darker; the pillow top is usually in oval shape. This ware is believed to date to the Jin dynasty because of a similar pillow kept by the Shanghai Museum, on the bottom of which is inscribed with the reign mark of the Dading era of the Jin dynasty.