Cat and Butterfly by Min Zhen

Min Zhen (Chinese, 1730–after 1788) ~ Cat and Butterfly, ca. 1788 (ink on paper). From Album of Miscellaneous Subjects | src Cleveland museum of art

Min Zhen painted this album for his friend Dailili Shanren in exchange for a scholar’s stone.

Cat and butterfly [ 貓和蝴蝶 ] are homophones for the characters “mao die” 耄耋 (octogenarian), so this painting expresses hope that the artist’s friend will live a long life.