Tiger and Magpie
Painting
1850-1910 (made)
1850-1910 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Paintings of tigers and magpies were popular in Korea in the 19th century and were often displayed on the front gate of homes at New Year. In Korea, the tiger is considered the most powerful of evil-repelling animals, while magpies are traditionally viewed as the bearers of good news. This subject matter was thus not only visually appealing, but was also thought to provide protection and attract good fortune for the forthcoming year.
The humour of this particular painting is characteristic of the genre. Two magpies chatter to each other on the bough of a pine tree. A tiger, frustrated by their noise but powerless to stop it, glares up at them from below.
The humour of this particular painting is characteristic of the genre. Two magpies chatter to each other on the bough of a pine tree. A tiger, frustrated by their noise but powerless to stop it, glares up at them from below.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Black ink and colours on paper |
| Brief description | Painting showing a tiger and two magpies, Korea, 1850-1910. |
| Physical description | A small tiger with striped fur and a long tail curving around the lower portion of the picture is seated with its body facing to the left and its head towards the right. The tiger appears to be looking at two magpies perched in the branches of a pine tree in the top right-hand side of the picture. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Purchased with the help of Museum colleagues in memory of Lisa Bailey (1964-1996), Curator of Korean Art 1994-1996 |
| Object history | Korean folk painting of a tiger and magpies |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Paintings of tigers and magpies were popular in Korea in the 19th century and were often displayed on the front gate of homes at New Year. In Korea, the tiger is considered the most powerful of evil-repelling animals, while magpies are traditionally viewed as the bearers of good news. This subject matter was thus not only visually appealing, but was also thought to provide protection and attract good fortune for the forthcoming year. The humour of this particular painting is characteristic of the genre. Two magpies chatter to each other on the bough of a pine tree. A tiger, frustrated by their noise but powerless to stop it, glares up at them from below. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | published in
Beth McKillop & Pauline LeMoigne "Tradition and Transformation : two decades of Korean Art and Design at the V&A Museum" in Orientations,Volume 43, number 6, September 2012, pp.83-91. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.69-1997 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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