Title
Chinese woodblock print depicting the Military Door God Randeng Daoren （燃灯道人）
Year/Period
Early-mid 20th century
Region
Suzhou, China
Object Type
colour woodcuts (prints)
Material
paper (fiber product), colour (pigment)
Technique
color woodcut (process)
Dimension
Image size: 58.7 x 39.1 cm,
Image size: H63.9 x W44.1 cm (Mount)
Image size: H63.9 x W44.1 cm (Mount)
Accession No.
2010-00948
Collection of
NLB Type
Cultural artefact
Depicted riding a deer is Randeng Daoren, a Military Door God. Randeng holds a yardstick above his head. The shorter stick is known as the ‘as you wish’ （如意, ruyi）sceptre. He bears a ‘yin-yang’ （阴阳）emblem on his forehead. This emblem of the Eight Trigrams represents the equilibrium ideal for human survival. Prints of Randeng are usually paired with prints depicting Zhao Gong Ming （赵公明）as Military Door Gods.The print was produced in Taohuawu, a village in Suzhou province in China. It is one of the most famous places for producing ‘Chinese New Year prints’ (年画, nianhua). The production house, Wang Rong Xing （王荣兴）(printed on the other print of the same pair), was established around the 18th century.
