Stove God and Wife with Calendar / Artist Unknown, China
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1989/2.116
- Title
- Stove God and Wife with Calendar
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, China
- Medium and Support
- color woodblock print on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1948
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Willard A. and Marybelle B. Hanna
- Dimensions
- 35 cm x 26.7 cm (13 3/4 in. x 10 1/2 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Primary Object Type
- color print
- Secondary Object Classification
- Secondary Object Type
- woodblock
- Physical Description
- This print is typical, depicting the Stove God and his wife with halos and elegant clothing. Before them is a table with common worship instruments, including candles, an incense burner, and flowers. Standing in the bottom corners are two officials, and between them a container of jewels. The jewels are flanked by a dog and rooster; animals thought to be symbols of domesticity with auspicious connotations. Above the scene a calendar for the year 1949 is framed by an auspicious dragon motif.
- Subject Matter
- Stove God prints like this one were responsible for watching over the family and reporting their progress to the Jade Emperor, a powerful Daoist deity. As such, they were hung in shrines above the kitchen stove where the god, often accompanied by his wife, could closely observe the family.
- Each year a new print with a calendar specific to that year was purchased, and burnt at year-end in order to send the god back to heaven and the Jade Emperor for his annual report. Just before burning the print, special food would be placed in front of the deity, and his mouth smeared with honey or sugar in order to ensure he left the home with a sweet taste in his mouth.
- Secondary Keywords
- allegory and literature
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- buildings and the land
- calendars
- containers
- containers by function or context
- document genres
- document genres by form
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- herbaceous plants
- information forms
- landscapes (environments)
- legendary creatures
- lighting devices
- lighting devices by form
- mythology
- natural landscapes
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by family relationship
- people by state or condition
- plants
- religions and religious concepts
- religious concepts
- settlements and landscapes
- spouses
- vegetation and vegetation components
- vegetation components
- woody plants
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 814 x 1128
- File Size
- 151 KB
- Record
- 1989/2.116
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1989-sl-2.116/1989_2.116.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1989-SL-2.116:1989_2.116.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Stove God and Wife with Calendar; Artist Unknown, China." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1989-sl-2.116/1989_2.116.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 18, 2024.
