Cat and Butterfly

Min Zhen’s ‘Cat and Butterfly’ was completed in 1788. The ink on paper work shows a cat intently watching a butterfly. Qing dynasty, China.

The support is an album leaf, not a scroll. The dimensions are not specified. Ink on paper was a common medium for Min Zhen.

Min Zhen was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi, in 1730. He spent most of his life in Hubei. His work includes human figures and occasional finger painting.

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, https://clevelandart.org/art/1985.71.5