The Mascot for the People of Chu: Colored Wood Carving of Reclining Deer

The Warring States (475-221 B.C.)

Maximum Height: 96.8 cm

Excavated in 2002 from the No. 2 Tomb of Jiu Lian Dun in Zaoyang County, Hubei Province

Currently Housed in Hubei Province Museum

The deer curls up with its head backward and has a pair of real antlers. It is painted black and decorated with colorful dapples. The vivid design and lustrous colors endow the deer with an air of tranquility and serenity.

Almost every male deer has antlers which grow and fall off seasonally with a variety of shapes. Born to be alert, gentle and lovely, deer are not only the major targets for ancient hunters but also important offerings for religious rituals. They were deemed by the people of Chu as a kind of supernatural being with unique vitality which is able to bring people good fortune, happiness and longevity. Therefore, the wooden deer was probably used as a mascot in the tomb to pray for the dead. While the people living in the Central Plains area and the North, under the influence of foreign cultures, liked to imagine animals having wings, people of the Chu area tended to picture the animals with a pair of mysterious antlers whether supernatural bird or beast.