Symbolic Messages in Chinese Animal Paintings

Explore the emblematic ideas expressed in four hanging scrolls that reveal much about the social and cultural history of one of the world’s greatest civilizations. The paintings of tigers by Gao Qipei (1660 – 1734), rabbits by Cheng Zhang (1869 – 1938), birds by Wang Zhen (1867 – 1938), and fish by Pu Ru (1896 – 1963) all contain layers of meaning steeped in longstanding traditions.