Chinese woodcut, Famous medical figures: Emperor Fuxi

  • Gan Bozong (Tang period, 618-907)
  • Digital Images
  • Online

Available online

view Chinese woodcut, Famous medical figures: Emperor Fuxi

Public Domain Mark

You can use this work for any purpose without restriction under copyright law. Read more about this licence.

Credit

Chinese woodcut, Famous medical figures: Emperor Fuxi. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Selected images from this work

View 1 image

About this work

Description

One of a series of woodcuts of illustrious physicians and legendary founders of Chinese medicine from an edition of Bencao mengquan (Introduction to the Pharmacopoeia), engraved in the Wanli reign period of the Ming dynasty (1573-1620) -- Volume preface, 'Lidai mingyi hua xingshi' (Portraits and names of famous doctors through history). The images are attributed to a Tang (618-907) creator, Gan Bozong. The text states: The great heavenly Fuxi was surnamed Feng [Wind]. In remote antiquity, he supplanted Suirenshi (the legendary creator of fire) and became Emperor. His merits and achievements were great: he devised the Eight Trigrams, invented writing, instituted marriage, and taught humankind to catch fish, grow plants and keep animals. According to tradition, he had a snake's body and human head, but he is depicted here as fully human.

Lettering

The [legendary] Emperor Fuxi

Type/Technique

Permanent link