artsy-dragon-collection

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'Sleeping Cat and Butterflies' (Japanese, 1st half 19th century) by an unknown artist.

Ink and colour on silk.

Image and text information courtesy MFA Boston.

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11th March 809, A 22 year old Japanese Emperor writes about his new cat.

“On the 6th Day of the 2nd Month of the First Year of the Kampo era. Taking a moment of my free time, I wish to express my joy of the cat. It arrived by boat as a gift to the late Emperor, received from the hands of Minamoto no Kuwashi.

The color of the fur is peerless. None could find the words to describe it, although one said it was reminiscent of the deepest ink. It has an air about it, similar to Kanno. Its length is 5 sun, and its height is 6 sun. I affixed a bow about its neck, but it did not remain for long.

In rebellion, it narrows its eyes and extends its needles. It shows its back.

When it lies down, it curls in a circle like a coin. You cannot see its feet. It’s as if it were circular Bi disk. When it stands, its cry expresses profound loneliness, like a black dragon floating above the clouds.

By nature, it likes to stalk birds. It lowers its head and works its tail. It can extend its spine to raise its height by at least 2 sun. Its color allows it to disappear at night.

I am convinced it is superior to all other cats.”

[artsy-dragon-collection]

I Remember You (2011), Sara Swink

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The Cat in the Mirror, 1990, Balthus

Medium: oil,canvas

https://www.wikiart.org/en/balthus/the-cat-in-the-mirror-2

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The detailed carvings of a woman’s face and a snarling lion form the body of this aryballos, or oil vessel. Though it is made of faience (an early synthetic material) from ancient Egypt, it has a Greek form. This combination of Greek and Egyptian elements demonstrates the cross-cultural connections of the eastern Mediterranean in this period.

(And, this vessel is not quite 3 inches tall!)

Oil container with the heads of a lion and a woman, about 550 B.C., Greek, Rhodes. J. Paul Getty Museum.

[artsy-dragon-collection]

Naondo Nakamura

Cat. c. 1950

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Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Kitten Sleeping in the Arms of Madame Ingres

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Diana Rose

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Fool Around (B) by Ono Tadashige (20th Century)

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Cat Catching a Rat by Kobayashi Kiyochika (1877)

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Sigmund Lipinsky (1873-1940), 'Circe', 1904

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Oliver Herford (1863-1935), ''The Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten'', 1906

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Henriëtte Ronner-Knip - Rascal (1894)

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Izuchukwu Luther Akunne (Nigerian, b. 1997)

Treats, 2024

Acrylic on canvas

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Cat Nap - Bernadett Tinko , 2023.

Hungarian , b. 1992 -

Oil on paper , 23 x 31 cm

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Chinese artist Shou Xin creates the most wonderful cats with just a few pencil lines