HAN DYNASTY (206 BC-AD 220)

During the Han period, the phoenix is commonly shown with a fanned tail and spread wings. It is also referred to as the 'Red Bird' in Five Element theory, and correlates with the summer season and the cardinal direction of South. Phoenixes in exuberant positions similar to these can also be found in other wares from the Han period. See, for example, the circular end from an eaves-tile molded with a phoenix relief dated Eastern Han illustrated by W. Watson, Pre-Tang Ceramics of China: Chinese Pottery from 4000 BC to 600 AD, London, 1991, p. 225, no. 146; and the rubbing from a stone tablet, also dated Eastern Han, in M. Hayashi, In Shu Jidai Seidouki Monyu no Kenkyu II, Tokyo, 1986, p. 243, no. 7-39.