Americans today are accustomed to sleeping on soft, feathery pillows. But hard pillows and headrests, often made of wood, have been used in various cultures throughout the world—in Africa, India, the Pacific Islands, and elsewhere. Ancient Chinese texts refer to pillows made of wood or bamboo, and such pillows were used in China into the 20th century.

Ceramic pillows began to appear in China in the Tang dynasty (618–906), and lots of them were produced in the Song dynasty (960–1279). Because they are so durable, they have lasted longer than other types of pillows made in those times. Modern scholars once believed that ceramic pillows were made only for use in tombs. The Chinese had a tradition of placing ceramic models of household objects in tombs, for use in the afterlife. But from written records and other evidence we now know that ceramic pillows had a practical purpose, too. However, it’s hard to tell which pillows were for everyday use and which were for tombs.

Pillows with magical powers appear in many Chinese folktales and superstitions. There is a tale about the adventures of a man who could climb inside his pillow and be magically transported to other places. One of the legendary Taoist Immortals is said to have used a pile of three books of Taoist teachings as his pillow, to inspire “pure and elegant” dreams. A folk medicine recipe called for filling a wooden pillow with herbs and other substances. After a year of sleeping on the pillow, the recipe claimed, “white hair will turn black, new teeth replace those fallen out, and hearing and sight will grow clear.”

The scholar Kao Lien, writing in 1591, recommended porcelain pillows because they “brighten the eyes and benefit the pupils.” When night comes, he claimed, “one can read finely printed books” using such a pillow. He also noted that porcelain pillows offered soothing coolness during hot weather. Although this pillow is stoneware rather than fine porcelain, it too would have had that cool quality.

The butterfly and flower designs on the top of this pillow may have had symbolic meaning, or perhaps they simply suggested the sweet dreams of peaceful sleep. The tiger, though, has a clear history of symbolism.

The tiger was an important symbol in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism (DOW-ism). Taoism explains the world in terms of two opposite forces: yin (from the ancient Chinese word for “shady”) and yang (from the word for “bright”). Yin includes darkness, water, wind, and the earth. Yang includes light, fire, rain, and the heavens. Yin is passive, while yang is active. According to this philosophy, everything in the universe results from the interaction of yin and yang. The dragon, a mythical animal thought to rule the heavens, stands for yang. The tiger, considered the mightiest animal on earth, stands for yin.

Tigers and dragons were popular subjects for paintings at the time this pillow was made. As a symbol for yin (darkness and inactivity and the west, where the sun sets), the tiger may have seemed an especially good form for a pillow. A tiger pillow scared off evil influences as a person slept. Children’s pillows—often not ceramic but made of cotton or silk stuffed with grain husks—frequently took the form of a tiger, to protect the child from demons that cause nightmares.