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Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 4
1200s
- Medium
- Album; ink on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Painting: 34.3 x 38.5 cm (13 1/2 x 15 3/16 in.); Overall: 39 x 41.4 cm (15 3/8 x 16 5/16 in.)
- Culture
- China, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund in honor of Dr. Ju-hsi Chou and Gift of various donors to the department of Asian Art (by exchange)
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Leaf 4 depicts one of the sanguan 三官大帝 (Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water) in the Daoist pantheon. These "officials" work as intermediaries between human beings and the bureaucracy of the netherworld. This deity, riding on a lively steed, most likely represents the "Official of Earth" 地官. Leading the way, his entourage includes a host of protective guards who carry his sword and chair, hoist his parasol and flags, or simply hold their own weapons. These figures all walk on clouds, moving along with a strong wind that causes the parasol and flags to flutter, creating a sense of overall motion.
