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Tiger
by Fachang Muqi
About the Artwork
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 the slight reddish shading in the tiger’s tongue and nose has faded.
Inscriptions
道有; 雜華室印
Exhibition history
1000 Jahre Chinesische Malerei. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Mùnich, Germany (organizer) (October 16-December 13, 1959). Chinese Art. Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA (organizer) (January 8-26, 1962). The Art of Southern Sung China. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (February 15-April 15, 1962). The Colors of Ink. Asia House Galleries (January 10-March 3, 1974); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-May 12, 1974). Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 11-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982). Roaring Tigers and Leaping Carp: Decoding the Symbolic Language of Chinese Animal Painting. The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH (organizer) (October 9, 2009-January 3, 2010). Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting (Chinese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2023-May 5, 2024). Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting Part 2. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 10-September 1, 2024).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Fachang Muqi (Chinese, 1220–1280)
- Date
- c. 1250–79
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk
- Dimensions
- Painting: 125.2 x 57.2 cm (49 5/16 x 22 1/2 in.); Overall with knobs: 227.1 x 78 cm (89 7/16 x 30 11/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Accession no.
- 1958.427.2
Provenance
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu 足利義滿 [1358–1408] 1400s: Ashikaga Yoshinori 足利義教 [1394–1441] or Ashikawa Yoshimasa 足利義政 [1436–1490] (Zakka shitsu yin 雜華室印) 1600s: Tokugawa Iemitsu 德川家光 [1604–1651] Viscount Sakai 子爵 酒井氏 [late 1800s–early 1900s] ?–1958: (Howard Hollis and Company, Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1958–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
More by Fachang Muqi in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009361
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