Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 25

Discussion

FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

These twelve figures are personifications of the dizhi 地支, or Earthly Branches. Each is accompanied by its corresponding animal in the Chinese zodiac. The Earthly Branches would normally be accompanied by the ten Heavenly Stems, or tiangan 天干, which suggests a missing leaf.

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