Tag: Ox

Han Huang 韓滉 (723 – 787)

Han Huang (韓滉) was a Chinese painter from the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907). But he was also a high ranking court official under a range of Chinese Tang Emperors. Han painted “Five Oxen (五牛圖)” and it is said that in this painting he shows to the Emperor his loyalty and hardworking dedication, like the loyalty of an ox serving his master. Painted 1250 years ago, this is the oldest painting on paper and one of the top ten Chinese masterpieces of art.

The painting was owned by many Chinese Emperors, who according to tradition put their seals on the painting. Those are the red stamp marks. This is adding historical importance to the painting and shows its provenance. Some Emperors also wrote poems and added these to the painting. It became a handscroll of 140cm long, and just 21cm high. The painting was kept in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, but stolen in 1860, when the Palace was looted and burnt down. In the 1950s the handscroll resurfaced at a Hong Kong auction house and the then Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai immediately ordered the purchase of the painting and the return to Beijing. It’s now kept in Beijing’s Palace Museum.

Han Huang (韓滉) (723 –787), “Five Oxen (五牛圖)”, Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), Handscroll of 21x140cm, Ink and Colors on Paper, The Palace Museum, Beijing.

Oxen, or cattle in general, are a universal symbol of wealth. In agricultural nations, cattle are the foundation of society; providers of strong labor, milk and meat, and they stand for prosperity and economic development. Look at this 1650 painting by Aelbert Cuyp, a leading landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age. This painting is more than just a pastoral scene. These cows are symbolizing abundance and wellbeing. The people who bought Cuyp’s paintings had invested substantial capital in canalization and draining the Dutch wetlands. They increased their wealth from exploiting the new agricultural land. And that means cows! This work is expressing the quintessence of Dutch agricultural richness and wealth.

Aelbert Cuyp (1620 – 1691), “Cows in a River” (1650), 59x74cm, Oil on Oak, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest.

Here are a few prints by the famous Dutch cattle painter Paulus Potter (1625 – 1654). These are from his “Bullenboekje” from 1650, a booklet with cows and oxen. Portrayed almost as human beings. As ourselves!

Saint Luke the Evangelist

Who is Saint Luke and how to recognize him in art? Luke is one of the Four Evangelists and the author of the Gospel of Luke, one of the New Testament books that describe the life of Christ. Luke is definitely a historic figure, who lived in the 1st Century and originally came from the then Greek city of Antioch, now on the Turkish-Syrian border. He was an physician, painter and writer and died at the age of 84. As he is one of the Four Evangelists, he became pretty popular and important in Western art. Luke was also a physician, and thus his name is used for many Saint Luke Hospitals all over the world.

Guercino (1591 – 1666), “Saint Luke Displaying a Painting of the Virgin” (1652), 221x180cm, Oil on Canvas, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City.

In the 8th Century a story popped up telling that Luke once painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary with the Christ child. Most likely just a cute legend, but it helps with recognizing Luke in art. He is shown as a painter at work, and his model is the Virgin. This also made Luke become the patron saint of painters. He gave his name to the Guilds of Saint Luke, which were the trade unions for painters in the 16th and 17th Century. Here is a 1652 painting by Guercino. Saint Luke shows the viewer his painting with the Virgin and Child. And look what’s on the table behind him. It’s a book. That refers to the Gospel he wrote. And on the book is an inkstand in the form of an ox. And the ox is the very most common attribute to recognize Saint Luke the Evangelist. The other three Evangelists also have their own symbols: Matthew – angel; Marcus – lion; John – eagle.

Here is another painting, from c. 1603, by El Greco (“The Greek”). His real name is Doménikos Theotokópoulos, a Greek painter but mainly living and working in Toledo in Spain. El Greco painted this magnificent portrait of Saint Luke for the Toledo Cathedral where it still can be seen. He must have felt close to Saint Luke, as they both came from Greece. Saint Luke shows us the Gospel, and his painting of the Virgin and Child is now incorporated in the Gospel book itself.

El Greco (1541 – 1614), “Saint Luke the Evangelist” (c. 1603), 100x76cm, Oil on Canvas, Toledo Cathedral, Spain.

Most common is to depict Luke as a writer, together with an ox or a bull, which animal became Luke’s trademark symbol. The ox or bull, as an animal often used for offers, refers to Christ’s sacrifice and crucifixion. Here are a few Dutch Old Master prints from series with the Four Evangelists. The person writing, depicted together with an ox, can only be Saint Luke the Evangelist. Once you make the link between Luke and the ox, it will be super easy to recognize this saint.