Carp becomes Dragon - Pillow

Object description & interpretation - carp becomes dragon - cushion

The work attached is a Korean folk painting called Yaklido (Image of a Jumping Carp, 약리도, 躍鯉圖). It comes from the Chinese legend of the Dragon Gate(the dragon rising to the gate, 등용문, 登龍門). This painting consists of said carp jumping in the air.

Up the Yellow River of China, there is a gorge called Yongmun (Dragon Gate, 용문, 龍門). It is said that the current in this gorge is very strong and even large, strong fish have difficulty swimming against it. Legend has it that a carp that struggled against the rough currents of the Dragon Gate became a dragon. The dragon gate is a symbol of success, which is why this folk painting, Yaklido, was primarily used as a gift that contributed to success, for example before an important exam.

The correct title of the work is: "A picture of a carp becoming a kite". In Japan, this title depicts a carp jumping into the water, while in Korean folk paintings it is usually shown jumping into the air. So that's what we mean by Yaklido. Along with the Yongmun Gorge in the background, in some of these paintings some of the carp heads are painted with dragon faces.

our recommendation

This Korean folk painting printed on cushion goes well with any places, such as the living room, office or reading room.

quality of image resolution

Original image size: 26 x 26 cm

Those

• Original title: Yaklido (약리도)
• Artist: Misun Kim (South Korea)
• Datum: 2018
• Format: painted on our own Korean paper
• Size: 26 x 26 cm
• Genre: Korean Folk Painting (Minhwa, 민화) 

Our tip: this image goes well with Flowers, Butterflies and Frog and Butterflies on Grape Tree.