Oie

Several goose-shaped objects have come down to us from the Western Han era (206 BC-AD 9). The theme probably symbolised prosperity, as in the widely reproduced lamps. These terracotta pouring vessels in the shape of a goose are rarer.
The Cernuschi Museum specimen is the largest and best conserved known to date. The well-preserved polychrome traces the line of the feet, with overlapping motifs playing with the grey terracotta ground to suggest the neck and breast feathers. The grey-coloured clay points to its northern origin.
Under the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220), numerous mingqi depict ducks and geese, often in relation with modelli of farms. The production of large fowl-shaped pieces appears to have ceased in this period.