Chinese Taiyi Zhenren Scroll

Details

Description

Chinese Taiyi Zhenren scroll, finely painted in colored inks on heavy paper, mounted on a shimmering, blue and ecru (presenting … Read more Chinese Taiyi Zhenren scroll, finely painted in colored inks on heavy paper, mounted on a shimmering, blue and ecru (presenting as green), silk brocade in a dense floral vines over a wanzi lattice pattern. The scroll is signed, with one inscription, in black, caoshu script and one, red, seal mark at the upper left of the image. The scroll has tan, cord makio and kakio at the top and mahogany jikusaki at the bottom. The outer scroll covering is a shimmering, gold and blue, silk brocade in a floral pattern. Circa Republic of China era, no later than mid century.

The image size is 23.5" wide x 42.25" high.

Taiyi Zhenren: Taiyi Zhenren (Chinese: 太乙真人; pinyin: Tàiyǐ Zhēnrén) is a Daoist deity in Chinese religion and Taoism. Taiyi (lit. 'great 2nd Celestial stem') means "primordial unity of yin and yang" and Zhenren (lit. 'true person') is a Daoist term for "Perfected Person". According to the opening of the classical novel Fengshen Bang, he is the reincarnation of the first emperor of the Shang dynasty, Tang of Shang. He rides a nine headed lion, named "The Grand Saint of Nine Spirits" from the Chinese novel "Journey to the West" by Cheng'en. Ranked fifth among the Twelve Golden Immortals, the character is based on Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, the Lord of Suffering, who practices in the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain. Taiyi Zhenren is the leader of the Qingwei Sect, and master of Nezha and Jinxia Tong'er.

In the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West, the powerful demon known as the Grand Saint of Nine Spirits (九靈元聖) is actually the Nine-Headed Lion that Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun rides on. The boy in charge of looking after the lion once secretly drank a special potion and fell asleep for three days in Heaven (equivalent to three years in the human world). The lion seizes the opportunity to escape. He builds his base at the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave (九曲盤桓洞) at Bamboo Links Mountain (竹節山) near the Kingdom of Yuhua (玉華國). The clan of lion demons living around that area revere him as their grand spiritual ancestor. The Nine-Headed Lion differs from most other demons in the novel in that he neither harms humans nor seeks to taste Tang Sanzang's flesh. He becomes angered when he learns that his god-grandson, the Tawny Lion Demon, has been killed by Sun Wukong and seeks revenge. He captures Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the royal family of Yuhua, subjecting them all to whippings. Eventually, he is subdued by his master, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, and taken back to Heaven. See less