The Rooster Protects the House from Suzhou / Artist Unknown, China
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2006/2.47
- Title
- The Rooster Protects the House from Suzhou
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, China
- Artist Nationality
- Chinese
- Medium and Support
- color woodblock print mounted on stiff board with silk borders
- Object Creation Date
- 20th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing
- Dimensions
- 55.88 cm x 45.72 cm (22 in. x 18 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Primary Object Type
- color print
- Secondary Object Classification
- Secondary Object Type
- woodblock
- Physical Description
- Polychrome woodblock print of a rooster holding a praying mantis in its mouth with four characters at top center framed by a floral scrolling border
- Subject Matter
- As early as the sixth century AD, it was customary in China to paste an image of a rooster on the door on the first day of the lunar New Year to protect the household. The rooster is associated with the sun, and when the rooster crows it is believed that all darkness of evil disappears. The rooster holds a mantis in its beak. The pronunciation of the characters for "mantis" (tanglang) are similar in sound to those for "promotion to a high official post" (dang lang), implying that the rooster brings good fortune too the family. In addition, the pronunciation of the character for rooster (ji) is identical to that for "auspicious." Other, propitious motifs in this print include a branch of red coral (for wealth), a red peony (for honor) and a pointed green Artemisia leaf (whose strong scent provides protection against evil).
- Secondary Keywords
- transfer method
- animals and creatures
- birds
- objects we use
- prints
- prints by process
- prints by process or technique
- relief prints
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- 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
- 2586 x 2320
- File Size
- 528 KB
- Record
- 2006/2.47
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2006-sl-2.47/2006_2.47.jpg
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- Full citation
-
"The Rooster Protects the House from Suzhou; Artist Unknown, China." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2006-sl-2.47/2006_2.47.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2024.
