Dog with harness

In ancient times, dogs were sacrificial domestic animals. In small numbers, ceramic models of dogs began to play a part in mortuary practices during the Western Han, and by the Eastern Han, dog models surpassed other types of animal models in number, reflecting in their individual modeling many types and breeds of dogs. Green lead-glazed models were made in Shaanxi and Henan. The polygonal legs retaining the sharp edges formed during sculpting are features of Shaanxi dog models which distinguish them from Henan ones (Li 1989: pl. 12). In this model, the potter fashioned a hole under the animal's hip to accommodate a separately modeled tail.