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The Heavenly Official Bestows Happiness

late 19th century

Not on view

Surrounding this heavenly official’s elaborate headdress are five red bats, a rebus for the “five great fortunes”: longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death.

Prints made at Yangliuqing are noted for their elegant refinement, exemplified by the meticulous drawing and subtle coloring of this work. The deep gray shade of the insides of the long sleeves was painted by hand.

The Heavenly Official Bestows Happiness, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper with additional hand coloring, China — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Tianguan cifu

Title: The Heavenly Official Bestows Happiness

Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Date: late 19th century

Culture: China

Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper with additional hand coloring

Dimensions: Image: 19 1/2 x 11 in. (49.6 x 27.9 cm)
Overall: 26 7/8 x 19 15/16 in. (68.2 x 50.6 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum- donated by Mrs R. E. A. Hughes-Jones

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.