Qilin Delivering Sons (Diptych)
Chinese
Description
Subject Matter:
The background is silk-style and filled with 'auspicious symbols' including Buddhist emblems and attributes of the eight immortals. A chinese character on the right of the figures translates to "expensive" or "valuable." When this character is combined with the character from the right panel of this diptych, the two characters "fu gui" translate to "wealthy and high-ranking." Two figures are riding an animal known as the Qilin, a mythical hoofed animal with dragon-like features, also sometimes known as a Chinese unicorn. The Qilin is supposedly a gatekeeper that guarded a fairy's cave in the mountains. This animal is known as a symbol to provide prosperity or serenity, and when it has babies on the back, such as this image, it is bringing extraordinary children from heaven to parents.
Physical Description:
Left panel of a diptych. Two figures riding an animal face right and there is a Chinese charater to the right of the figures. The background is green and filled with clouds and symbolic objects.
Usage Rights:
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