Legend of the Cowherder and the Weaving Maiden

Accession Number
1994/2.37

Title
Legend of the Cowherder and the Weaving Maiden

Artist(s)
Gai Qi

Object Creation Date
1774-1829

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink and color on silk

Dimensions
46 1/2 x 12 3/8 in. (118.1 x 31.4 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund

Label copy
The legend on which this painting is based tells of a beautiful celestial maiden who was a deft weaver. Later, she fell in love with a cowherd. Their love was so intense that they ignored their daily dutes. God disapproved of such behavior and punished them by putting them on opposite sides of the Milky Way. The isolated couple was permitted to meet only once a year on the night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Additional Object Classification(s)
Painting

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
calligraphy
legendary figures
mythology
water

3 Related Resources

Ink and Realisms
(Part of: Artist Associations and Art Movements)
Ink and Realisms in China before 1800
(Part of: Artist Associations and Art Movements)
W19 Researcher - Mendelson
(Part of: Resources Made by Isabel Engel)

& Author Notes

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