Battle of Red Cliffs

This is a miniature reproduction of the household story of “Battle of Red Cliffs” from the literary classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义). By choosing the ten most dramatic plots from the story, namely, Zhuge Liang visiting the State of Wu to forge an alliance, Zhuge Liang debating with civil officials and scholars of Wu, Zhuge Liang tricking Zhou Yu, Jiang Gan stealing letters, Zhuge Liang borrowing arrows with straw boats, heroes having like minds, Huang Gai being punished, Cao Cao writing a poem with a spear, Zhuge Liang praying for the eastern wind, the fierce battle at Red Cliffs.
The artisan carpeted the surface of this gourd with ten images, making it a picture storybook when being rotated by the viewers to appreciate the images one by one. By use of fine brushwork and a strong color palette on the quaint-colored gourd, the creator has revealed a harmonious visual effect though a large number of characters are involved, all with different expressions and in varied gestures.