明 佚名 問道李鐵拐圖 軸|Daoist immortal Li Tieguai receiving a visitor

Unidentified artist

15th–16th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

Legend states that the Daoist immortal Li Tieguai assumed his disheveled form accidentally. One of the master’s abilities was to send his spirit on journeys while his body lay dormant. On one of these occasions, Li was gone for so long that his assistant mistook the master for dead and cremated him. Returning to find his body missing, Li appropriated the body of a local mendicant who walked with an iron crutch, and was thereafter known as Li Tieguai (Iron-Crutch Li). Beloved for his wild appearance and spiritual abilities, Li was frequently depicted in popular culture; here, he addresses a formally dressed official who has come to pay respects.

Artist

Unidentified artist

Date

15th–16th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2016