Rubbing of Journey of the Soul to the Paradise of the Queen Mother of the West (2000/2.1) - Front / Bo Yang
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2008/1.154.1
- Title
- Rubbing of Journey of the Soul to the Paradise of the Queen Mother of the West (2000/2.1) - Front
- Artist
- Bo Yang
- Artist Life Dates
- b. 1961
- Medium and Support
- ink on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 2008
- Object Creation Place
- North and Central America (continent)
- United States (nation)
- Michigan (state)
- Washtenaw (county)
- Ann Arbor (inhabited place)
- Creation Place 1
- North and Central America (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- United States (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Michigan (state)
- Creation Place 4
- Washtenaw (county)
- Creation Place 5
- Ann Arbor (inhabited place)
- Dimensions
- 96.2 cm x 101.1 cm (37 7/8 in. x 39 13/16 in.)
- Century
- 21st century
- Primary Object Classification
- Rubbing
- Primary Object Type
- n/a
- Physical Description
- Rubbing of limestone slab carved bas-relief with six registers. The lower register depicts a chariot procession above fish-inhabited waters. The central three registers depict figures carrying out funerary rites. The top register shows a winged creature with a human face flanked by two writhing dragons and other animals, including two rabbits and a nine-tailed fox.
- Subject Matter
- Rubbing of a carved limestone slab that was originally part of a memorial hall or tomb. It portrays the vertical ascent of the soul of the deceased from earth toward the “Happy Homeland” or heavenly abode of the Queen Mother of the West.
- On the lower register of the carving, the soul of the tomb occupant rides in a chariot procession. The fish-inhabited waters indicate his earthly surroundings. In the central three registers the family and friends of the deceased are shown carrying out the proper funerary rites that will insure the success of his journey. The Queen Mother herself, shown as a winged creature with a human face, dominates the top row. She is flanked by two writhing dragons and other heavenly immortals, including two rabbits, who reside on the moon and are shown pounding rice cakes, and an auspicious nine-tailed fox, associated with the sun.
- The Queen Mother of the West was the subject of a very popular cult during the Eastern Han Dynasty, when concerns about immortality reached a new and feverish pitch.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- descriptors
- earth sciences concepts
- freewheeled vehicles
- freewheeled vehicles by form or function
- inorganic material
- land vehicles
- land vehicles by form
- legendary creatures
- mammals
- materials
- materials by composition
- objects we use
- paintings
- paintings by location or context
- people and culture
- physical sciences concepts
- scientific concepts
- transportation vehicles
- vehicles
- 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
- Record
- 2008/1.154.1
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-1.154.1/r_go2008_3_1.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
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- Full citation
-
"Rubbing of Journey of the Soul to the Paradise of the Queen Mother of the West (2000/2.1) - Front; Bo Yang." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-1.154.1/r_go2008_3_1.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2024.