Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Two Pigs
Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
Known as “hand warmers,” hardstone pigs were common Han tomb furnishings, placed in the hands of the deceased. Pigs are a symbol of wealth in China, so they were likely meant to provide for the deceased in the afterlife. These examples are realistic in form; over time, such pigs became more stylized, their carving reduced to a few sharp cuts.
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