Artwork Page for Liu Haichan

Details / Information for Liu Haichan

Liu Haichan

劉海蟾

1300s

China, Yuan dynasty

(1271-1368)
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Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Measurements
Image: 105 x 38 cm (41 5/16 x 14 15/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 182.8 x 59.1 cm (71 15/16 x 23 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1982.29.2
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

Because the immortal Liu Haichan is usually depicted with bangs, his eponym, liúhǎi 劉海, means "bangs" in Chinese.

Description

Liu Haichan is a Daoist immortal sometimes included in the Eight Immortals. He is often shown as a young man wearing bangs across his forehead. He was said to have lived during the Five Dynasties period (907–979) and left his position as a grand councilor to become a hermit. Usually depicted carrying a string of coins and accompanied by a three-legged toad, Liu Haichan became a god of wealth and his toad symbolizes wealth as well. In this scroll, Liu is teasing the three-legged toad with a string of coins tied to his waist
A hanging scroll in muted brown tones depicts Liu Haichan, a man with medium skin tone, grinning down at a toad on the ground to our left. He wears loose, draped robes. Gnarled pine branches with dark needle clusters and a craggy rock face fill the background. Fine brushstrokes and dark dots define the terrain. Chinese calligraphy extends down the upper right (see "Inscriptions"). Green patterned borders frame the composition.

Liu Haichan

1300s

China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

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