"Longevity" spirit money from Taiwan / Artist Unknown Taiwan
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2008/1.171
- Title
- "Longevity" spirit money from Taiwan
- Artist
- Artist Unknown Taiwan
- Artist Nationality
- Taiwanese
- Medium and Support
- orange paint, imitation gold foil, and red ink on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 20th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Taiwan (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Taiwan (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Ellen Johnston Laing
- Dimensions
- 16 cm x 14 cm (6 5/16 in. x 5 1/2 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Primary Object Type
- color print
- Physical Description
- Print with floral design framing an inner square that contains six characters in the top and lower right, center, and left corners and a large character in the middle (“longevity”) with an image of two coins suspended from the wings of a stylized bat in the lower center. Swath of oranga paint and imitation gold foil in the middle.
- Subject Matter
- “Longevity” money was used exclusively in the worship of deities to celebrate their birthdays, or as a means of thanking them for blessings already bestowed, or to ask for long life or other benefits. In addition to the large character for “longevity” in the center, the four characters at the top right, center, left, and at the lower margin express wishes for sons, emolument, wealth, and honor. A “double happiness” character is in each lower corner. Two coins are suspended from the wings of a stylized bat, a symbol of happiness because the pronunciation of the character for “bat’ (fu) is identical to that for happiness. To produce the “spirit money,” the carved images would be printed in red over a patch of gold foil placed on top of a wide orange-colored swatch painted on coarse paper.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- biological concepts
- descriptors
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- exchange media
- image-making equipment
- image-making processes and techniques
- mammals
- objects we use
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- printing and printing processes and techniques
- printing and printmaking equipment
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- processes and techniques
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- tools and equipment
- 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
- 2452 x 3127
- File Size
- 610 KB
- Record
- 2008/1.171
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-1.171/2008_1.171.jpg
Rights and Permissions
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- Full citation
-
""Longevity" spirit money from Taiwan; Artist Unknown Taiwan." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-1.171/2008_1.171.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 19, 2024.