Ema (Votive Painting) of Chinese Lion and Peony Tree

Colors in this work

Artist: Unknown artist
Date: 1649
Medium: Ink and color on wood
Dimensions: 16 15/16 x 21 3/4 in. (43 x 55.3 cm)
Origin: Japan
Department: Asian Art
Holding institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Palette: Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #C7B2A0 · 30%

Plaster Cast · Gray family · #E2D6CB · 14%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #85613D · 14%

Olive Ground · Yellow family · #927A57 · 8%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #A68D71 · 8%

Burnt Umber Ground · Brown family · #584939 · 8%

Waxed Cedar · Orange family · #B9693E · 7%

Terracotta Slip · Orange family · #D16139 · 5%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #C69F78 · 3%

Golden Bole · Yellow family · #91946C · 2%

Etching Plate Gray · Gray family · #352E25 · <1%

Plaster Cast · Gray family · #E0DDCA · <1%

Vine Charcoal · Gray family · #4D454B · <1%

Museum Mount · Gray family · #BDABAC · <1%

Vine Charcoal · Gray family · #454C46 · <1%

Sage Plaster · Green family · #D1DFC4 · <1%

Apricot Plaster · Orange family · #FFC584 · <1%

Burnt Sienna Wall · Orange family · #953000 · <1%

Select a color to find related artworks.
Image provider: metropolitan-museum-of-art
License: CC0-1.0
Credit: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975

11 tags

Animals Both · 99%

A large lion occupies the central field, and the catalog title identifies the subject as a Chinese lion.
Flora Both · 98%

A flowering peony tree or branch spans the upper portion of the composition, as specified in the catalog title.
Text Visual · 99%

Bold black brush-written characters are distributed around the lion and flowering branch.

Calligraphic Visual · 97%

The inscriptions use visibly expressive, brushlike strokes as a prominent compositional element.
Bright and Vivid Colors Visual · 95%

Vermilion and red-orange passages, green-brown forms, and dark outlines create a vivid, high-contrast palette against the pale ground.
Patterns Visual · 94%

Circular markings on the lion’s body and repeated spiraling forms in the mane, tail, and blossoms create a clear decorative patterning.

Painting Both · 99%

The Met catalogs the work as a painting, and the image visibly shows pigment applied to a rectangular wooden support.

17th Century Art Metadata · 99%

The work is dated 1649, placing it in the seventeenth century.

Japanese Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog identifies the place of origin as Japan.

Ceremonial Object Metadata · 97%

The catalog classifies the work as a votive painting; its wooden plaque format and hanging cord support its identification as a ceremonial or devotional object.

Unknown artist. Ema (Votive Painting) of Chinese Lion and Peony Tree. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.