Demons, Ghosts, and Goblins in Chinese Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art

 

Tomb Guardians 鎮墓獸
Early 700s
China, probably Shaanxi province, Xi'an, Tang dynasty (618-907)
Glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware
Gift of various donors to the department of Asian Art (by exchange)
2000.118
© The Cleveland Museum of Art

 
 

Demons, Ghosts, and Goblins in Chinese Art

September 8, 2024 — January 20, 2025

 

Demons, ghosts, and goblins feature in Chinese art as creatures that either bring harm or ward off evil spirits. This exhibition presents 20 paintings and sculptures of secular and religious subject matter from a private collection and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show explores the stories in which they appear and the supernatural power that they exert.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhibition Preview

 

Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree 菩提樹下釋迦牟尼圖
1600–1650
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
1971.68
© The Cleveland Museum of Art

Heavenly King Virudhaka 增長天王
1368–1644
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Hanging scroll; color on silk
Worcester R. Warner Collection
1918.544
© The Cleveland Museum of Art

Monster Caryatid 鬼神
Late 500s
China, possibly from Xiangtangshan, Northern Qi dynasty (550–577)
Limestone
Anonymous Gift
1957.357
© The Cleveland Museum of Art

Tomb Guardians 鎮墓獸
Early 700s
China, probably Shaanxi province, Xi'an, Tang dynasty (618-907)
Glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware
Gift of various donors to the department of Asian Art (by exchange)
2000.118
© The Cleveland Museum of Art

 
 
 
News 15Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold