White-glazed Boy-shaped Pillow, Ding Ware

The pillow is shaped like a boy lying prostrate on a couch and the boy’s back is used as the surface of the pillow. The boy folds his arms to support his head; his right hand holds a ball; his feet raise and cross with one another; he wears a sleeveless jacket and a gown, whose lower part is printed with medallion design. The sides of the couch is pressed with patterns and decorated with panels. One side is adorned with raised hornless dragon; the opposite side is plain; the other two sides are ornamented with tops of ruyi. The glaze color of the body is cream while the bottom is plain and has two holes. Pillow is a cushion to support a sleeper’s head. In ancient China, jade and porcelain pillows were popular because jade and porcelain could comfort the body, soothe the spirit and even play the function of “clearing eyesight and benefiting eyeball, so that one could read small characters when one is old”. Porcelain pillow originated in the Sui dynasty and flourished in the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties. This boy-shaped pillow characterized by exquisite molding and lively and leisurely bearing is a precious work of art among ancient Chinese porcelain objects.