Divine Felines

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Product Description

From Hello Kitty to Maneki Neko--Japan is the epicentre of global cat culture

Whether lurking in corners or taking center stage, cats are a ubiquitous presence in Japanese art. Depending on the situation, they may invite good fortune, prompt the viewer to meditate on a tale or provide evidence of an unseen world of magic and supernatural happenings.

In 200 charming woodblock prints, paintings, screens and figurines spanning three centuries, Japanese art expert Rhiannon Paget celebrates the rich symbolism and surprising stories surrounding the feline image in Japan. Her book contains essays on the following fascinating topics:

• Domestic Companion or Household God? Artists represent the great affection and sense of pride which bonds cat owners to their pets
• The Feline Muse: The feline figure as an ideal subject for artists to explore in fluid lines and organic forms, their glossy fur and markings lending themselves to the interplay of textures and materials
• Lucky Cats: Cats as auspicious creatures in Japanese culture, symbolizing health, longevity and prosperity
• Mischief and Mayhem: Japan's rich mythology and visual record of cats as witches and feline monsters
• Philosophers' Cats, Teachers' Pets and Moggies with Messages: The feline image deployed to illustrate historical, philosophical and religious ideas, and as conveyors of folk wisdom
• Plus much more

This delightful book will appeal to anyone interested in Japanese art and Japanese culture. Plus of course to every cat lover

List of institutions whose works appear in this book:
Museums
Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
Art Institute of Chicago
Chazen Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Harvard Art Museums
Honolulu Museum of Art
Kumamoto Prefectural Art Museum
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Mingei International Museum
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum Rietberg, Zurich
National Diet Library, Tokyo
Nature and Science Museum, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Nittaso History Museum
Rhode Island School of Design Museum (RISD Museum)
Rijksmuseum
Saint Louis Art Museum
Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago
The Asakura Museum of Sculpture
The British Museum
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University
Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo National Museum
Yamatane Museum of Art
Libraries
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
Smithsonian Libraries
Tokyo Metropolitan Library
Waseda University Library

About the Author

Rhiannon Paget is the curator of Asian Art at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. She received her doctorate from the University of Sydney and has published research on Japanese prints, paintings, textiles and popular visual culture as well as curating numerous exhibitions, including Saito Kiyoshi: Graphic Awakening, in 2021.

Product Details

• ISBN: 9784805317334
• Format: Hardcover
• Title: Divine Felines

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