Protective Amulet / Artist Unknown Taiwan

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Record Details

Accession Number
2006/2.44
Title
Protective Amulet
Artist Nationality
Taiwanese
Medium and Support
polychrome on wood
Object Creation Date
20th century
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
Taiwan (nation)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
Taiwan (nation)
Dimensions
21.2 cm x 21.8 cm x 1.2 cm (8 3/8 in. x 8 9/16 in. x 1/2 in.)
Century
20th century
Primary Object Classification
Wood and Woodcarving
Primary Object Type
plaque
Secondary Object Classification
Decorative Arts
Physical Description
Plaque in the form of a snarling lion's face holding a double-edged "severn star" (here only three of the seven stars are depicted as large dots connected by lines) sword in its mouth and ornamented with a red octagon containing the characters for "daqi" surrounded by eight trigrams on its forehead.
Subject Matter
This plaque would be mounted above a door to protect a house against malign influences. Each motif exerts a strong influence against evil: the lion is the fearsome king of beasts; the "seven stars" represent the Great Dipper, one of the most powerful asterisms in Daoist heaven; the "seven-star" sword is used in Daoist exorcisms to expe demons; "daqi" is the "Supreme Ultimate" of Daoist beliefs and in conjunction with the eight trigrams (combinations of broken and unbroken lines) is common in good omen designs.
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Technical Details

Image Size
2407 x 2407
File Size
393 KB
Record
2006/2.44
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2006-sl-2.44/2006_2.44.jpg

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Full citation
"Protective Amulet; Artist Unknown Taiwan." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2006-sl-2.44/2006_2.44.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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