Tao Tie

This sculpture interprets the ancient Chinese mythical beast “Tao Tie” as a symbol of gluttony. The design draws inspiration from Tao Tie patterns found on artefacts from China's Bronze Age.

The design draws inspiration from Tao Tie patterns found on artefacts from China's Bronze Age.

According to the text “Classic of Mountains and Seas”, the Tao Tie is a monster with a human head bearing horns, the torso of a goat, the legs of a tiger, and human hands. It possesses eyes beneath its armpits. The Taotie has a colossal maw and must perpetually consume to survive.

I have designed this creature by combining the descriptions from the Classic of Mountains and Seas with the Taotie patterns seen on bronze ware. As this is a bust, the eyes had to be relocated from the armpits to the neck area. Additionally, Tao Tie patterns were added to its body as protruding veins.

The bust is fully painted with acrylics. The creature's colour scheme resembles the bronze-coloured pedestal; indeed, parts of its body were painted with metallic paint to suggest it is struggling to break free from the seal of the bronze pedestal.

If you are interested in the sculpture, the stl model is available in the links below:

https://www.hobbya78.com/product-page/taotie-stl

Or at Pixup:

https://pixup3d.com/en/posts/6301