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Liu Haichan

1300s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

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 string of coins tied to his waist

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  • Title: Liu Haichan
  • Date Created: 1300s
  • Physical Dimensions: Image: 105 x 38 cm (41 5/16 x 14 15/16 in.); Overall: 182.8 x 59.1 cm (71 15/16 x 23 1/4 in.)
  • Provenance: (Katsuhiro Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1982.29.2
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
  • Original Title: 劉海蟾
  • Inscriptions: Inscribed in upper right corner: The old tree has its green shrouded in mist In the depth of the mountain the moon is bright By no means could the eyes of the dusty world Understand these particular feelings. Shan-yüeh tao-jen [seal] Shan-yüeh (?)
  • Department: Chinese Art
  • Culture: China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)
  • Credit Line: Edward L. Whittemore Fund
  • Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
  • Accession Number: 1982.29.2
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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