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Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 3

Unknown

1204

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Ming Painting Medieval Religious

Dominant colour

Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 3 is a 1204 unspecified by Unknown, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1204 · Ming Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a line of gods in bright robes floating on clouds, led by the Jade Emperor in a chariot pulled by cranes. This painting comes from a teaching album—like a sketchbook for artists learning to paint religious scenes. Fifty pages show different gods and punishments, probably used in a workshop to train new painters. To see more paintings like this, look up china, southern song dynasty (1127-1279).

The story of this work

Overview

This extraordinary album has 50 paintings on a variety of religious subjects. They were likely created by several master craftsmen to share with studio apprentices as models for fulfilling commissions. The Jade Emperor and the Daoist pantheon make up the first 26 leaves. On this leaf, the fourth in the album, the Jade Emperor 玉帝 rides over a cloud in his chariot surrounded by his retinue. The next 14 leaves portray the Buddhist Ten Kings of Hell administering punishments to the dead. The third section, called “Clearing the Mountains,” features divine soldiers, led presumably by the deity…