Animal Mask (Taotie)

One of the most common decorative motifs on ritual bronzes and jades is the taotie mask. The animal here has large bulging eyes with small eyebrows surmounted by horns. Between the eyes is a protruding nose, revealing the seams of the piecemolds, and below are menacing jaws and fangs. The name taotie was given to this monster mask in the later Zhou dynasty (circa 1050–256 B.C.E.) and translates as “glutton,” perhaps referring to its evocation of a devouring beast. The Northern Wei dynasty transformed the taotie mask, which is now depicted with a creature, part-human and part-demon, grabbing the horns of the beast.