Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dragon and Tiger in Tempest [left of a pair]

Saeki GankuLinkedCulture matchlcp-6dcde4f4ee99

Date: early 19th century
Medium: Six-panel folding screen, one of a pair, ink and light color on paper
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Object ID: 118074

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

Pictures of dragons and tigers were extremely popular in East Asia beginning in China during the Shang (c.1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou (c.1046–256 BCE) dynasties. In the 14th century they reached Japan via Korea, and soon pairs of sixfold screens, with each screen portraying one creature, became the favorite format of depiction. This pair of screens is a strong example of that vogue. The dragon represented spring, and the tiger stood for autumn. They were also the emblems of male and female cosmic principles, respectively; both are signs of the zodiac. The dragon-tiger pair came to symbolize the power of faith, and, in a wider sense, embodied the greatest animal strength in heaven (dragons) and on earth (tigers).

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture

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