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Similar grimacing figures flanked the entrance of Tang Dynasty tombs
or burial chambers of members of the Imperial family and other high-
ranking members of society. See for example, the pair of guardian
warriors unearthed from the tomb of the Crown Prince Zhang Huai,
(653-684 AD), sixth son of Emperor Gaozong (r.649-683 AD) and
his second wife Empress Wu Zetian. The Prince was re-interred in
the Royal mausoleum of Qianling north-west of Xi’an, along with
impressive murals and sancai figures, which included a pair of
guardians sculpted in a similar pose as the present example, illustrated
in National Treasure. Collection of Rare Cultural Relics of Shaanxi
Province, Xi’an, 1998, pp.230-231.

In an act of martial prowess, he subdues an anguished demons,
symbolic of evil, pressing it against a rocky ledge. Guardians such as
the present example are often clad in a battledress worn by Imperial
guards. On the upper body they wear a breastplate and backplate
which are fastened together, while the shoulders are protected by a
type of paultron and the forearms by a type of vambrace, and greaves
to protect the shins. They also typically wear a knee-length coat.
Similar armours can be noted on the guardians depicted on the tomb
frescoes of Princess Yongtai’s tomb (701 AD), illustrated in ‘Excavation
of the Tomb of Tang Princess Yongtai’, Wenwu, 1964, no.1, pl.VIf.

The caricatured foreign traits of the present guardian would appear
to underscore a connection between the so-called ‘barbarian’
physiognomy and supernatural potency. This combination can already
be seen on guardians in burials dating from the Han dynasty. By the
Tang era, appearance also seems to have been influenced by the
popularity of Buddhism. Tang writers frequently portrayed foreign
monks exorcising evil spirits, ending droughts and curing illnesses.
Some of these foreigners were able to gain a high position within
the Tang Court, partly because of their claimed ability to protect the
dynasty itself. See M.S.Abramson, Ethnic Identity in Tang China,
Philadelphia, 2008, pp.52-107. Thus, the use of exaggerated
‘barbarian’ features: (large rolling eyes, frowning eyebrows, and
grotesque noses), may have reflected the perceived powers and
abilities associated with certain ‘barbarian’ people.

On the other hand, guardians often displayed striking similarities with
Buddhist protective deities, referred to as Lokapala or Dvarapalas,
who guarded the entrance gates to Buddhist halls and caves: see
R.E.Fisher, ‘Noble Guardians: The Emergence of the Lokapalas in
Buddhist Art’, Oriental Art, vol.41, no.2, pp.17-24, and J.C.Y.Watt,
ed., China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD, New York, 2004,
p.330. It is thus probable that Buddhism influenced Chinese views
of the afterlife. However, it may also have just provided a convenient
frightening likeness for the tomb guardians, fulfilling Tang society
expectations of what a fearsome face should look like.

Compare with a large figure of a guardian trampling over a bearded
demon, incorporating extensive use of cobalt-blue glaze, illustrated in
The Exhibition of Chinese Pottery Figures of Dynasties, Tokyo, 1984,
no.84. See also a large figure of a guardian depicted in a similar pose
and wearing a similar cap, illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years,
Tokyo, 1976, vol.1, pl.209.

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