Item No.: 1744
Name: A Cizhou ware figure of a boy holding a dog, decorated in red and black
Period: Yuan dynasty
Height: 22.9 cm
Judging from his clothing, the boy appears to come from a relatively affluent family. He holds his beloved puppy tightly, yet his expression conveys no joy. Instead, it suggests uncertainty, distress and bewilderment. The closeness of the child and his dog thus carries a moving sense of unease and attachment.
Viewed against the turmoil of the Song–Jin conflicts, the figure may take on a deeper significance: a child accustomed to a comfortable life faces the prospect of fleeing as war threatens his home and country, yet cannot bear to leave his beloved puppy behind. His tightly encircling arms seem to embody both his fear of separation and his attachment to familiar life and cherished companionship.
We may never know the work’s true meaning. Nevertheless, the warfare and displacement of the Song–Jin era offer one possible context for understanding the child’s complex and anguished expression. Through the bond between a child and his puppy, the sculpture may reflect the vulnerability of individual lives in troubled times, and the tenderness to which people cling amid suffering.