Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Search the Mountain: Leaf 43
Unknown Artist
1200s
Medium
Album, ink on paper
Dimensions
34.8 × 39.2 cm · painting: 34.1 × 38.5 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund in honor of Dr. Ju-hsi Chou and Gift of various donors to the department of Asian Art (by exchange)
Accession Number
2004.1.43
About this artwork
This leaf and the one nearby belongs to a group of sketches with the theme “Clearing the Mountains” (soushan tu). The textual basis has long been lost; only the paintings survive. Here, fearsome divine soldiers fight against evil spirits depicted as animals and human-like creatures in mountains and forests. At the lower left, a soldier attacks a ram. To the right, two soldiers attempt to subdue a tiger. Three soldiers (one wielding a sword) emerge from an opening in the cliffs.