Artwork Page for Li Tieguai

Details / Information for Li Tieguai

Li Tieguai

李鐵拐

1300s

China, Yuan dynasty

(1271-1368)
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Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Measurements
Image: 100.5 x 38.4 cm (39 9/16 x 15 1/8 in.); Overall with knobs: 182 x 59.2 cm (71 5/8 x 23 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1982.29.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Li Tieguai is one of the Eight Daoist immortals.

Description

It is said that Li Tieguai’s ethereal self visited the deified Laozi but when he returned, he found that his own body was burned. He had to inhabit the corpse of a person who used a crutch to walk, and thus gained his name Tieguai—the Iron Crutch.

The painting depicts Li Tieguai after he took possession of the body, with the iron staff in his hand. As Li exhales, he blows a small Li Tieguai in the air, showing the immortal’s ability to send his spirit on journeys.
A hanging scroll in ink and color on silk depicts Li Tieguai, a man with a medium skin tone, walking in a rocky landscape. He faces right, looking back with wide eyes and wearing tattered robes. He leans on a crutch, his left hand raised. Above him, a tiny figure floats near a gnarled pine tree. Dark dots and washes define the terrain. Vertical columns of calligraphy occupy the upper left corner.

Li Tieguai

1300s

China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

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