Tiger
Artist
Fang Zhaoling
(Chinese, 1914 - 2006)
Date1998
MaterialsInk and colors on paper
DimensionsH. 37 1/2 in x W. 21 in, H. 95.2 cm x W. 53.3 cm 9image); H. 102 in x W. 32 1/2 in, H. 259.1 cm x W. 82.5 cm (overall)
Credit LineGift of the artist's children
Object number2005.31
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on viewInscribedInscribed: Fifth day of the year (1998). Painting a tiger in the year of the tiger. Fang Zhaoling at age 84.
More InformationInscribed: Fifth day of the year wuyin [1998]. Painting a tiger in the year of the tiger. Fang Zhaoling at age eighty-four.
Fang Zhaoling showed her interest in traditional Chinese culture in many ways. One manifestation can be found in her representations of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. She often employed a seal in the form of a reclining ox or buffalo, the symbol of the cyclical zodiac year in which she was born. One such seal appears in the center of the large area of blank paper of this painting. In this emphatic work Fang not only painted a tiger but also mentioned in the inscription that she was painting the tiger in the year of the tiger.
