The Lantern Night Excursion of Zhong Kui
late 1200s–early 1300s
Medium
handscroll; ink and slight color on silk
Dimensions
25.7 × 904.4 cm · image: 24.8 × 240.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession Number
1961.206
Tags
About this artwork
Here, the demon queller Zhong Kui leads a nightly procession of street entertainers with bare, muscular bodies and demonic faces. Some wear shabby clothes, and all perform stunts and tricks to astound and scare the viewer. In fact, a New Year custom in cities of southeast China had the poor, disguised as demons, process through the streets and play their tricks to clear households of evil spirits and welcome the spring. From right to left, a demonic figure leads the procession and beats a drum; ...