Dragon and Tiger

Description

A tiger looks upon a waterfall as it prowls out of a bamboo grove, and a dragon dives through clouds on the right. Tiger and dragon are traditional symbols of the balancing forces in the world, yin (the feminine aspect) and yang (the masculine aspect). This painting has a signature and seals, identifying it as a work by Soga Nichokuan, a painter thought to be from Sakai (near Osaka), and known primarily for his representations of hawk-eagles (kumataka).

Provenance

(Klaus F. Naumann East Asian Art, Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1985); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1985–)

Dragon and Tiger

Soga Nichokuan

early to mid-1600s

Accession Number

1985.134

Medium

pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, slight color, gold, and silver on paper

Dimensions

Overall: 173.4 x 377.2 cm (68 1/4 x 148 1/2 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund