A tutelary deity is a god or goddess who is a guardian or protector of a specific place, geographic site, lineage, occupation or a home and its inhabitants. Main Chinese Tutelary Deities are Tudi Gong (the local Earth Deity), Cheng Huang Gong (City God of individual cities) and Matsu (Protectress of the Seas).As guardians of individual homes and families, the Kitchen God and his wife fit into this category.
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The Kitchen God (Zao Shen) was and still is among the most important Chinese house gods. Traditionally every family had its own Kitchen God with or without his wife above the stove to reflect his and its central position in the family’s life. The Kitchen God is both a syncretic and a tutelary deity embraced…
These carvings of the Taoist-Deities Tudi Gong and his wife Tudi Po are from rural Southern China where they were frequently depicted together as house-gods on a home altar or local temple for farmers to pray to for abundant harvests and success in selling their products. Although Tudi Gong is a low ranking deity, he…
This Kitchen God and his Wife is posed as streamlined virtual mirror-images and fashioned with a general quality relying on paint rather than deep carving for details. They sit on backless chairs on a plinth, with simplified gold officials’ robes with long color sashes, and well-carved black and gilt head gear. The wife’s face is smooth, generalized and the male face has a more deeply carved surface and painted highlights.
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