Tiger

1879

Chinese, 1830-1904

Learned statesman and imperial tutor Weng Tonghe wrote the character for tiger quite often because he was born in the year of the tiger. Here it appears in semicursive script, followed by one line from a poem by Su Shi from eight centuries earlier: “Men made of straw and carved peach tree amulets for warding off evil spirits: useless.” Perhaps Weng was referring to his lack of remedy for the nation’s various ailments, including addiction. The two Opium Wars had legalized the opium trade, and imports to China from Britain reached a height by 1879.

Ink on paper

6 15/16 x 19 11/16 in. (17.6 x 50 cm)

Gift of James H. Soong in honor of Mimi Gardner Gates

2009.68

Provenance: San Xi Tang gallery, Hong Kong, approx. 1984; James Soong

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 28, 2022 - Jan. 8, 2023].

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