Gift of Dan McLawhorn, Class of 1970, and Robert J. Hazelgrove, Jr.

The use of ceramic pillows in China began in the Sui dynasty (581-618), they were used for funerary purposes in tombs, but also in homes as actual pillows. They helped keep you cool during the hot summers and served as a decoration in the room when not in use. They were also given as wedding gifts with auspicious symbolic motifs such as children. This pillow is from the 19th century and decorated with auspicious symbols of bats for longevity, coin for wealth, and flowers with a pair of birds for fidelity.