Artwork Page for Dragon and Tiger

Details / Information for Dragon and Tiger

Dragon and Tiger

early to mid-1600s

attributed to Soga Nichokuan 曽我二直庵

(Japanese)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, slight color, gold, and silver on paper
Measurements
Overall: 173.4 x 377.2 cm (68 1/4 x 148 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1985.134
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

A tiger looks upon a waterfall as it prowls out of a bamboo grove, and a dragon dives through clouds on the right. Tiger and dragon are traditional symbols of the balancing forces in the world, yin (the feminine aspect) and yang (the masculine aspect). This painting has a signature and seals, identifying it as a work by Soga Nichokuan, a painter thought to be from Sakai (near Osaka), and known primarily for his representations of hawk-eagles (kumataka).
A pair of horizontally oriented ink and gold paintings on six-panel screens depicts a dragon and a tiger. The upper screen shows a scaly dragon coiling through swirling, dark clouds, its head facing left. Below, a wide-eyed striped tiger crouches near vertical bamboo on the right. To the left, waves crash against a dark mound. Gold tones wash the sky, while bold ink strokes and fine lines define the figures and churning atmosphere.

Dragon and Tiger

early to mid-1600s

Soga Nichokuan

(Japanese)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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