明 佚名 奉神圖 卷|Canonization scroll of Li Zhong

The handscroll known as the Canonization of Li Zhong is a Ming dynasty work created by an anonymous artist. A colophon inscribed on the silk supports dates the piece to 1641. Executed in ink, color, and gold, the religious painting depicts Taoist themes alongside figures of men, women, and a dragon.

While the specific commissioning patron and original creation context remain undocumented in available records, the work's provenance traces to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The scroll is currently housed in the museum, which identifies its origin as China. No further details regarding the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the current sources.

The Canonization scroll of Li Zhong is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as recorded in the institution's catalogue and confirmed by structured data linking the work to that museum's holdings. The painting, a handscroll executed in ink, color, and gold on silk, is classified under the museum's paintings department and is associated with a colophon dated 1641. No specific accession number, accession year, or detailed exhibition history is documented in the available sources for this work.

The available records establish the current custodial location at the Metropolitan Museum of Art but do not provide inventory identifiers, prior ownership chains, or a list of past exhibitions.

The Canonization scroll of Li Zhong, produced in 1641 by an unknown Ming‑era hand, exemplifies religious painting through its ink‑color and gold decoration on silk. Depicting Taoist motifs such as a dragon alongside figures of a man and a woman, the handscroll was created for ritual purposes and later entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a work by an anonymous painter. Its presence in a major museum collection has made it a reference point for studies of anonymous Ming religious art, and scholars cite it when discussing the visual language of Li Zhong worship in early Chinese painting.

This handscroll, titled Canonization scroll of Li Zhong, is an anonymous Ming Dynasty painting rendered in ink, color, and gold on silk. It depicts a pivotal moment in a Daoist narrative: the apotheosis of a man into a deity. The vibrant composition features a kneeling couple before a majestic dragon, while celestial priests are shown amidst gleaming gold clouds, illustrating a significant spiritual transformation.