Name: Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl

Field reg. no.: 3:0647

Collection reg. no.: R001756

Height: 34.1 cm

Weight: 24.3 kg

Material(s): marble

Place of origin: Tomb M1001, Hsi-pei-kang, Yinxu, Anyang, Henan Province

Age: More than 3,300 years

Date of excavation: Mar. 26, 1935

Excavating individual: Liu Yao (later Yin Da, 1906–1983)

Date of “national treasure” categorization: Jun. 30, 2009

“National treasure” doc. no.: Authorized by the BOCH no. 0982108065  

Issued postage stamp: “Ancient Chinese Artifacts Postage Stamps: The Ruins of Yin” (Dec. 10, 2014)

Exhibitions:

1937   Second National Fine Art Exhibition, Ministry of Education (Apr. 01–23, 1937)

1967Hsi-pei-kang Tomb M1001, Houjiazhuang, Yinxu, Anyang, exhibited by the National Palace Museum (1967–2000)

1998Trésors du Musée national du Palais, Taipei: Mémoire d'Empire, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris (Oct. 20, 1998–Jan. 25, 1999)

2008   Hsi-pei-kang Tomb M1001: Special Exhibition for the 80th Anniversary of the Anyang Excavation Project (Oct. 22, 2008–Apr. 14, 2019)

2012   King Wu Ding and Lady Hao: Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty (Oct. 19, 2012–Feb. 19, 2013)

2014   Yinxu Artifacts on Stamps (Dec. 10, 2014–Jul. 01, 2015)

2018   Zoo in Museum: A Virtual-Real Jaunt of AR Experience (Dec. 12, 2018–May 29, 2019; Sep. 07, 2022–Jul. 03, 2023)

2024   Approaching National Treasures (Dec. 07, 2024–Jun. 8, 2025)

“The array of stone carvings discovered at Houjiazhuang are entirely unprecedented. Prior to this [find], our knowledge of Chinese stone carving art began with the two Han dynasties [206 BCE–220 CE], but since the excavation of the stone carvings from Houjiazhuang, the history of Chinese stone carving can be pushed back by more than a thousand years, being traced back to the Shang dynasty [ca. 1250–1050 BCE].” (The Letters of Fu Ssu-nien, p. 1,284.)

From 1934 to 1935, scholar Liang Ssu-yong (1904–1954) led the archaeological work conducted by the Institute of History and Philology (IHP) at the royal tombs discovered at Hsi-pei-kang (Xibeigang) of Yinxu (Ruins of Yin) at Anyang, Henan province. Three excavations were carried out during the two-year period, involving 10 large tombs, 1 large square pit, and more than 1,200 small tombs. Among them, Tomb M1001 is the largest of those in the royal tomb area, with the largest number of excavated artifacts as well as being the earliest such tomb. This cross-shaped tomb with four ramps has regrettably been robbed several times; nonetheless, many refined and precious artifacts have been unearthed, most notably various marble sculptures of animals.

The excavator specifically in charge of Tomb M1001 was Liu Yao (later Yin Da, courtesy name Zhaolin, 1906–1983). The tomb was excavated on two seasons: the first in 1934 resulted in the remarkable discovery of the Marble Sculpture of a Kneeling Anthropomorphic Figure with a Tiger Head; and the second on March 26, 1935, unearthed the Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl. The latter was discovered in a disturbed burial pit at a depth of 8.75 meters with signs of decayed wood lodged in the back groove. Commenting on the discovery, IHP researcher Shih Chang-ju (1902–2004) stated: “For this excavation, the large Tomb M1001 dug up by Liu Yao has yielded the most artifacts. The marble owl, standing at about 0.30 meters tall, can be paired with the previously discovered marble tiger. The motifs are finely carved, and the two shoulders are both carved in the form of two dragons. From the same pit, a marble beast with two heads joined at the hips, ox heads, frogs, fish, and turtles are all remarkably exquisite. As for bone arrowheads and other artifacts, they were collected with a sieve in such numbers that they cannot be counted.” From this account we can see that the artifacts unearthed at Tomb M1001 were of the highest quality and quantity.  

In ancient times, owls were referred to by two characters both pronounced xiao. Among the animal bones unearthed at Yinxu, remains of Strigiformes have been found. Owls are a common theme or motif of artifacts in the Shang dynasty, with some bronzes and jades even being produced in the shape of an owl. This is perhaps best evidenced by the bronze owl-shaped zun vessel excavated from the tomb of Lady Hao and another bronze owl-shaped zun (R001074) from Tomb M1885 at Hsi-pei-kang, both of which are similar in design and ornamentation to the Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl.

Of the marble carvings excavated from Yinxu, the Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl is an exquisite example, earning it the categorization of “national treasure” on June 30, 2009, in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. The standing owl’s head is raised with a pointed beak, round eyes, and thick arched brows, and its chest is protruding. The entirety of its body is covered with various motifs: scales on the head and neck, a triangular animal face on the chest, coiled dragons on the front sections of the wings, kui making up the rest of the wings, inverted dragons on the feet, rounded meanders on the lower section of the back, and more animal faces on the sides of the tail. A long groove stretches from the head to the tail on the back, within which there were remnants of decayed wood when excavated, suggesting that the sculpture was used as an architectural ornamentation. The design of this groove can also be found on the Marble Sculpture of a Kneeling Anthropomorphic Figure with a Tiger Head, which was unearthed at the same tomb, and considering their similarities in size and weight, it can be inferred that their purpose is identical. Finally, from archaeological contexts, we can surmise that only the highest classes of nobles were able to procure marble carvings of such size and form. Large marble sculptures, for example, have only been excavated from the palace sites and the royal burial sites at Yinxu, whereas medium-sized standing animal figures have been unearthed at royal tombs and those of high-ranking aristocrats, such as the tomb of Lady Hao.

A few years after the discovery of the Marble Sculpture of a Kneeling Anthropomorphic Figure with a Tiger Head and of the Standing Owl, both artifacts were featured at the “Second National Fine Art Exhibition” held by the National Art Museum in April 1937. For the exhibition, Liang Ssu-yong wrote “Exhibition Catalog of the Yinxu Excavation,” in which the artifacts unearthed from both Hsi-pei-kang and Hsiao-tun (Xiaotun) at the Yinxu site in Anyang are introduced. In 1967, the IHP collaborated with the National Palace Museum to display the artifacts from Tomb M1001 at Yinxu, an exhibition which lasted until 2000. During this timeframe, the Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl along with four items from the National Palace Museum collections were displayed as a part of the “Trésors du Musée national du Palais, Taipei: Mémoire d'Empire” exhibition held by Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, in 1998. In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the IHP in 2008, the “Hsi-pei-kang Tomb M1001: Special Exhibition for the 80th Anniversary of the Anyang Excavation Project” was organized which featured stone carvings and other artifacts unearthed at Tomb M1001 and other burial sites at Yinxu. Next, in 2012, the “King Wu Ding and Lady Hao: Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty” was held at the National Palace Museum, a momentous occasion as it was the first time Taiwan and China jointly held an exhibition pertaining to Yinxu artifacts, notably the marble standing owl and the bronze owl-shaped zun from the tomb of Lady Hao.

Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd., in 2014 issued “Ancient Chinese Artifacts Postage Stamps: The Ruins of Yin,” selecting eight representative artifacts from Yinxu that included the marble anthropomorphic figure and standing owl excavated from Tomb M1001; and in concert, the IHP held the “Yinxu Artifacts on Stamps” exhibition. Finally, in 2018, the IHP organized the “Zoo in Museum: A Virtual-Real Jaunt of AR Experience” event, which used augmented reality (AR) and 3D animation technologies to bring the marble anthropomorphic figure and standing owl to life. Now the “Approaching National Treasures” exhibition brings this remarkable national treasure close to you for your enjoyment and appreciation.

Museum of IHP · Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl

梁思永未完稿，高去尋輯補，《侯家莊‧第二本‧1001號大墓》。臺北：中央研究院歷史語言研究所，1952，頁79-81，圖版柒叁、柒肆。

杜正勝主編，《來自碧落與黃泉：中央研究院歷史語言研究所文物精選錄》。臺北：中央研究院歷史語言研究所，1998，頁32。

Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Trésors du Musée national du Palais, Taipei: Mémoire d'Empire. Paris: AFAA : Reunion des musees nationaux : Diffusion, Seui, 1998, pp.77-78.（展覽圖錄）

Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Trésors du Musée national du Palais, Taipei: Mémoire d'Empire. Paris: AFAA : Reunion des musees nationaux : Diffusion, Seui, 1998, pp.24-25.（導覽手冊）

蔡玫芬、朱乃誠、陳光祖主編，《商王武丁與后婦好：殷商盛世文化藝術特展》。臺北：國立故宮博物院，2012，頁228-229。

李梅齡編，《商王武丁與后婦好：殷商盛世文化藝術特展》。臺北：雙瑩文創股份有限公司，2012，頁35。

李永迪編，《殷墟出土器物選粹》。臺北：中央研究院歷史語言研究所，2009，頁138-139。

胡厚宣，〈中央研究院殷虛出土展品參觀記〉，南京《中央日報》1937.4.28-4.30；後收入滕固編，《中國藝術論叢》。上海：商務印書館，1938，頁157-167。

梁思永，〈殷虛發掘展覽目錄〉，中國科學院考古研究所編，《梁思永考古論文集》。北京：科學出版社，1959，頁153-162。

侯連海，〈記安陽殷墟早期的鳥類〉，《考古》1989.10：942-947。

石璋如，〈照林與侯家莊1001號大墓〉，《中國歷史博物館館刊》1995.1：81-84。

朱雪峰、錢益匯，〈殷墟西北岡大墓出土大理石雕及相關問題〉，《南方文物》2020.1：204-211。

中國青銅器全集編輯委員會編，《中國青銅器全集3商3》。北京：文物出版社，1997。

陳存恭、陳仲玉、任育德訪問，任育德紀錄，《石璋如先生訪問紀錄》。臺北：中央研究院近代史研究所，2002。

石璋如著，李永迪、馮忠美、丁瑞茂編校，《殷虛發掘員工傳》。臺北：中央研究院歷史語言研究所，2017。

石璋如遺稿，李匡悌、馮忠美輯補，《安陽發掘簡史》。臺北：中央研究院歷史語言研究所，2019。

《殷墟文物郵票專冊》。臺北：中華郵政股份有限公司，2014。

The Marble Sculpture of a Standing Owl can often be found on the catalogs, postcards, folders, and other items released by the IHP. In addition, this artifact has served as inspiration for our line of creative products, such as the “Owl Pencil Sharpener,” among others.