The Earth God and His Wife

Accession Number
1989/2.138

Title
The Earth God and His Wife

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
20th century

Medium & Support
woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
17 3/8 in x 15 1/8 in (44.1 cm x 38.4 cm);18 3/8 in x 16 1/4 in (46.6 cm x 41.2 cm);17 3/8 in x 15 1/8 in (44.1 cm x 38.4 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Willard A. and Marybelle B. Hanna

Subject matter
Tugong (Earth God) and Tumu are husband and wife. They are in charge of the house and protect the people in it. Tugong is close to the people who worship him and can sometimes be referred to as "grandfather" or "old friend." The two smaller figures appear to be their servants. In the background, there is a sun character of "ri" which can be associated with "yang," representing light, heat, and vitality. 

Physical Description
A man and woman dressed in robes and headdress stand next to each other with their hands together. They are behind a table and there are two smaller figures, also a man and woman, one on each side of the table. The women are on the left side and the men are on the right. On the table, there are incense vessels. In the background, there is the sun behind them, labeled. 

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
color print

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
earth (soil)
gods
gods (dieties)
husbands
protection (sociological concept)
wives

2 Related Resources

Marriage
(Part of 8 Learning Collections)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted