Divinities of the Planets and Constellations

Attributed to Qiu Ying Chinese

Not on view

The subject and imagery of this painting are derived from a composition attributed to the Tang dynasty (618–907) artist Liang Lingzan that is now in the collection of the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art. The painting depicts the deities of the Five Planets, which correspond to the five primary elements—wood (Jupiter), fire (Mars), earth (Saturn), metal (Venus), and water (Mercury)—and the twenty-eight constellations of the Chinese zodiac.

Qiu Ying, a fine artist in his own right, was also famous as a skilled copyist of earlier paintings. Such copies were highly valued by collectors and other artists who might not have access to the originals. This painting bears the signature and seals of Qiu Ying but may itself be a later copy.

Divinities of the Planets and Constellations, Attributed to Qiu Ying (Chinese, ca. 1495–1552), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, China

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