Chung K'uei on the Dragon Boat Festival Hua Yen (1682-1756), Ch'ing Dynasty

Chung K'uei on the Dragon Boat Festival
Hua Yen (1682-1756), Ch'ing Dynasty
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 131.5 x 63.7 cm

        Hua Yen, a native of Fukien province, moved from Hangchow and settled in Yangchow to sell paintings for a living. He excelled at almost every subject, creating innovative compositions and lively forms.

        In this work, Chung K'uei the Demon Queller wears a dark cap and a green robe as he sits leisurely in a chair viewing pomegranate and mallow blossoms in this garden setting. On the table are offerings of fruit, wine, and rice dumplings presented on the Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to the dragon boat regatta, this festival is also associated with expelling evil and pestilence (thought to occur on this, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month).

        Five demons are also shown here. One holds a tattered parasol, another brings a bowl of wine, and one has taken some fruit from the table. Caught by the demon behind, his cap was removed and head rapped as he reels back--thereby adding a humorous touch for which Hua Yen and other so-called "eccentric" artists in Yangchow were noted.