Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24) Culture:China Medium:Glazed stoneware Dimensions:H. 9 1/4 in (23.5 cm); W. 12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm); D. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm) Classification:Ceramics Credit Line:Purchase by subscription, 1879 Accession Number:79.2.789 To commemorate his parents, the Yongle emperor commissioned the construction of the Proclaiming Grace Temple (Bao'en si) in Nanjing. The temple's most prominent landmark was its "porcelain pagoda, " a nine-story structure some 260 feet in height that was surfaced in colorful glazed ceramic tiles. The pagoda was destroyed in 1856 during the Taiping Rebellion, so that only fragments, including this elephant tile, have survived.
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24) Culture:China Medium:Glazed stoneware Dimensions:H. 9 1/4 in (23.5 cm); W. 12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm); D. 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm) Classification:Ceramics Credit Line:Purchase by subscription, 1879 Accession Number:79.2.789 To commemorate his parents, the Yongle emperor commissioned the construction of the Proclaiming Grace Temple (Bao'en si) in Nanjing. The temple's most prominent landmark was its "porcelain pagoda, " a nine-story structure some 260 feet in height that was surfaced in colorful glazed ceramic tiles. The pagoda was destroyed in 1856 during the Taiping Rebellion, so that only fragments, including this elephant tile, have survived.