Name/Title
Ceramic Cow Or OxenDescription
Ceramic cow statue with fading black paint. It looks like it doesn't have any horns and is not supposed to (a lot of Chinese cow/ bull/ oxen statues have horns), and it has harnesses around its face with a saddle protruding out of the back of its neck, suggesting that it's supposed to be part of an ox cart (sans cart). It appears that there are engravings on the back of the cow that have been scratched up so I can't tell what they're supposed to be. The sides of the cow have protruding embellishments, and the cow's body is much larger in proportion to its head.Context
In Chinese history, the ox/ cow has had important significance both as a mythical being and for its usefulness in agricultural labor. They were used as draught animals, they could be eaten as a food source, and their manure was highly useful for agricultural and cultivation purposes, and so they were very valuable in early Chinese civilization. I've found conflicting narratives that ox/cow were symbols of the peasantry and farmers because of its uses in agricultural labor, but also that they could be seen as status symbols and symbols of wealth because of how expensive, high-maintenance, and valuable they were. Not to say that these two things are mutually exclusive, but to say that they were overall well-regarded animals. It could also perhaps play into the Chinese hierarchy system where farmers were regarded highly because of the food they produced, thought they didn't really amass much wealth. In its mythical capacities, the cow is meant to signify the coming of spring, and they are attributed to Chinese Valentine's Day (Qixi Festival) because of the tale of the Ox-Herd and Weaver-Girl. They are also the second animal in the Chinese zodiac, and people born in the year of the ox are usually reliable and trustworthy, if not a little stubborn. Ox statues were also popular figures to be buried with because they had such high practical value, and they would help guide the dead to the afterlife.