Daoist immortal Li Tieguai receiving a visitor
Legend states that the Daoist immortal Li Tieguai assumed his disheveled form accidentally. One of the master’s abilities was to send his spirit on journeys while his body lay dormant. On one of these occasions, Li was gone for so long that his assistant mistook the master for dead and cremated him. Returning to find his body missing, Li appropriated the body of a local mendicant who walked with an iron crutch, and was thereafter known as Li Tieguai (Iron-Crutch Li). Beloved for his wild appearance and spiritual abilities, Li was frequently depicted in popular culture; here, he addresses a formally dressed official who has come to pay respects.
Artwork Details
- 明 佚名 問道李鐵拐圖 軸
- Title: Daoist immortal Li Tieguai receiving a visitor
- Artist: Unidentified artist , 15th–16th century
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: 15th–16th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 51 7/8 × 29 7/16 in. (131.7 × 74.8 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.486
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Unidentified artist
Unidentified artist
Unidentified artist
Unidentified artist
Unidentified artist
18th–19th century
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