Rougyokusen　弄玉仙

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Ch: Nongyuxian. Lit. immortal Rougyoku 弄玉 (Ch: Nongyu). According to legend, a court lady of the Spring and Autumn Annals period who learned to play the reed pipes shou 簫 (Ch: xiao) from her husband. The sound of her playing was like the call of the phoenix *houou 鳳凰 and thus, one day, she summoned the phoenix and mounted it. Her husband similarly mounted a dragon and together they ascended to the heavens. Nongyuxian typically is shown as a beautiful Chinese court lady playing her shou, as in Iwasa Matabee's 岩佐又兵衛 (1578-1650) painting of the theme.

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(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。