The Wicked Rat & The Dragon Horse

Album TitleIllustrations to the Journey to the West

CultureChinese

Datelate 19th-early 20th century

MediumInk, color, and gold on paper

DimensionsSheet: 13 5/8 × 10 inches (34.61 × 25.4 cm)
Image: 10 1/2 × 8 inches (26.67 × 20.32 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: the Asian Art Acquisition Fund in memory of Laurence Sickman

Object number2023.8.2.33

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionThe painting in ink, color, and gold, features two partially rounded scenes of two figures, a Buddha, a rat, and a dragon eating a horse. The scene is framed by the painted border of floral pattern in gold on blue ground. It is a leaf from the album of 40 leaves depicting the popular story of Journey to the West (Xiyouji). Below the painting is a brief typescript caption in English, possibly added by James Ware.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Sages and Heroes: Storytelling in Asian Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, April 12, 2025–November 30, 2025, no cat.

Gallery Label

Based on a novel attributed to Wu Cheng’en (about 1500–1582), these works from an album illustrate the story of Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, who seeks to transform himself into a superhero. His behavior, however, brings trouble to the spiritual realm. The Buddha must punish him, but Guanyin converts him into a helper. The Monkey King then escorts a monk along with guards named Pigsy, Sandy, and Dragon Horse on a journey from China to India to attain Buddhist scriptures. The album artist animated the episodes using a colorful style similar to the emerging newspaper or poster illustrations of the late 1800s. These illustrations for different episodes of the novel demonstrate the enduring charm of this popular story.

Provenance

James Ware (1859-1913)

By descent to his great granddaughters, Anna Michaela and Robyn Lines, United Kingdom.

Chiswick Auctions, London, 9/3/2019, Lot 333.

Alan Kennedy, Santa Monica, CA, 2019-2023

Purchased from Alan Kennedy by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, in 2023

Published References

Lyon & Turnbull, The Hellenic Centre, 16-18 Paddington Street, London, W1U 5AS, Auction,

Wednesday 15 May 2019, LOT 132 (online)

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