Kitten

Since antiquity, Chinese scholars have often used the term “linu” in referring to the cat, as in Lu You’s line of poetry that reads, “With a touch of salt to entice a small cat (linu), it cares for the thousands of books at my mountain dwelling.” This painting depicts a calico cat lightly prancing along, having stopped in mid-step as its looks askance in a very spirited and lifelike manner. The underside of the cat is pure white with tabby stripes over its head, back, and tail. Both the washes used to depict the stripes and white lines for the fur are done without a single indefinite stroke. The brushwork throughout the entire painting is exquisite with both spirit and form complete. Although this work is unsigned, its size and composition are both similar to Li Di’s “Small Image of a Cat” by Li Di (fl. 1162-1224) in the National Palace Museum collection, suggesting this also came from the hand of the Southern Song painter Li Di.