Liu Haichan
Unknown Artist
1300s
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
182.8 × 53.5 cm · image: 105 × 38 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
Accession Number
1982.29.2
About this artwork
Liu Haichan is a Daoist immortal sometimes included in the Eight Immortals. He is often shown as a young man wearing bangs across his forehead. He was said to have lived during the Five Dynasties period (907–979) and left his position as a grand councilor to become a hermit. Usually depicted carrying a string of coins and accompanied by a three-legged toad, Liu Haichan became a god of wealth and his toad symbolizes wealth as well. In this scroll, Liu is teasing the three-legged toad with a strin...