Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 21

Description

This leaf is part of an important album of 50 drawings encompassing three subjects: processions of Daoist deities to the celestial spheres, the Ten Kings of Hell, and Erlang’s Campaign to Rid Mount Guankou of Dangerous Beasts (soushan tu 搜山圖).

This leaf belongs to a group of drawings of deities of the Daoist pantheon that inspired Chinese Buddhist iconography in many instances. Here we see the personified Nine Brilliant Constellations (Jiu yao 九曜). From right to left in the upper row are the sun and moon followed by three other stars: Venus as a goddess, Mars, and Yuebei. Proceeding in the lower row from right to left are Luohou, the comet Jidu, Ziqu, Jupiter, Mercury depicted as a female, and Saturn.

Provenance

Wang Hui 王翬 [1632–1717]; Li Jiale 李嘉樂 [jinshi of 1863]; Zhu Hang 朱沆 [active 19th century]; Dr. F. R. (Fredrik Robert) Martin [1868–1933], Stockholm, Sweden, and Munich, Germany (1910–?); Mrs. L. M. Morris [20th century], England (?–1947); (Sotheby's, London, sale, 25 March 1947, lot 118, sold to Stephen Junkunc III) (March 25, 1947); István “Stephen" Junkunc III [1904–1978], by descent to his son Stephen Junkunc IV (1947–78); (Stephen Junkunc IV [b. 1937], Miami, FL, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1978–2004); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2004–)

Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 21

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1200s

Accession Number

2004.1.21

Medium

album, ink on paper

Dimensions

Painting: 34.1 x 38.3 cm (13 7/16 x 15 1/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

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)