Hotei with Daoist Immortals: Immortal with Gourd and Dragon
late 1600s-early 1700s
Medium
triptych of hanging scrolls: ink on paper
Dimensions
painting only: 119.6 × 51 cm · including mounting: 210.2 × 68.6 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession Number
1989.8.3
About this artwork
Hotei was a Chan (Japanese: Zen) monk living in China during the 900s who, in the 1300s, became a legendary figure in Japan. At that time a popular cult praising him sprang up, extending beyond Zen to other religious communities. This rare triptych embraces a central Zen icon with flanking Daoist images, thereby suggesting the compatibility-rather than the exclusivity-of these two creeds. Hotei also enjoys popularity in Japan as a kind of genre, or folk figure, which explains his mirthful expres...