Set of Four Painted Characters

Description

This set of four colorful hanging scrolls may have been used in an outdoor Buddhist ritual to evoke heavenly blessings. Each hanging scroll bears four different characters: tiger, dragon, whistle, and recite. Traditionally, tiger and dragon belong to the four directional guards, respectively west and east.

Provenance

Robert H. Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1998); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1998–)

Set of Four Painted Characters

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early 1900s

Accession Number

1998.119

Medium

hanging scroll, ink and color on paper; unmounted

Dimensions

Overall: 236.5 x 80.3 cm (93 1/8 x 31 5/8 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth in memory of Alan Priest