Basalt brick

[Basalt grain brick]

Basalt grain brick, Tang Dynasty, 29.3 cm high and 22 cm wide
Xuanwu is a pattern of tortoise and snake, which is the northern god of the “four gods”. The turtle’s back is convex, the long snake and the turtle are intertwined, and the snake’s head is opposite to the turtle’s head. The moustache fluttering from the top to the bottom of the snake’s head, mouth and lips adds vivid strokes to the ugly and slow reptiles, which makes the picture lively. Unearthed from the Tang Tomb in Wuchang, Hubei