Liu Haichan with a Toad (1644–1911): Art, History and Details

Liu Haichan with a Toad (1644–1911) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Liu Haichan is a Daoist immortal sometimes included among the Eight Immortals. He was said to have lived during the Five Dynasties period (907–979) and left his position as a grand councilor to become a hermit. Usually depicted carrying a string of coins and accompanied by a three-legged toad, Liu Haichan became a god of wealth and his toad symbolizes wealth as well.

Object facts

• Title: Liu Haichan with a Toad
• Date: 1644–1911
• Culture: China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
• Type: Jade
• Technique: pale green and brown mottled jade
• Dimensions: Overall: 9.8 cm (3 7/8 in.)
• Collection: China - Qing Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1952.568

Collection credit

Anonymous Gift

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “Chinese Carved Jades.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 41, no. 4 (April 1954): 67–71.
• The Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. Jade: East and West. Coral Gables, FL: Lowe Art Museum, 1980.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.