Dragon; Tiger
1262
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1262
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dragon; Tiger is a 1262 unspecified by Fachang Muqi, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a dragon twisting through stormy waves and a tiger licking its paw on a rocky ledge. These two scrolls were meant to hang side-by-side in a quiet temple hall. The dragon and tiger stand for opposite forces—sky and earth, energy and stillness—that balance each other. The ink is so thin in places it looks like mist. Look up more works from china, southern song dynasty (1127-1279) to see how artists used empty space like a breath.
The dragon and tiger are tied to the philosophical concept of yin and yang, which describes opposite but complementary forces. The dragon occupies a tiered background of waves and mist. Its luminous head emerges from the darker passages, and its narrow twisting body is serpent-like. By contrast, the close-up view of the tiger emphasizes its bulk. The tiger bends its head to lick its paw while its tail curls in the foreground. In their original Chan Buddhist context, this pair of scrolls likely flanked a central image, like the Bodhisattva Guanyin. The silk has darkened over the centuries, and…
Fachang Muqi's ink paintings on Chan (or Zen in Japanese) themes were very popular in Japan.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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