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Li Tieguai

李鐵拐

1300s
(1271-1368)
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Image: 100.5 x 38.4 cm (39 9/16 x 15 1/8 in.); Overall with knobs: 182 x 59.2 cm (71 5/8 x 23 5/16 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1982.29.1
Location: not on view
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Did You Know?

Li Tieguai is one of the Eight Daoist immortals.

Description

It is said that Li Tieguai’s ethereal self visited the deified Laozi but when he returned, he found that his own body was burned. He had to inhabit the corpse of a person who used a crutch to walk, and thus gained his name Tieguai—the Iron Crutch.

The painting depicts Li Tieguai after he took possession of the body, with the iron staff in his hand. As Li exhales, he blows a small Li Tieguai in the air, showing the immortal’s ability to send his spirit on journeys.
Li Tieguai

Li Tieguai

1300s

China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

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