White Tigers [right of a pair]

The tiger is one of the most richly symbolic subjects of East Asian art. It is among the twelve animals of the zodiac, and appears in reference to Daoist, Buddhist, and folk legend, often paired with other symbolic subjects such as dragons, bamboo, or pine, as they are here. White tigers were thought to be the most noble of their kind and particularly auspicious. Gantai was the son and successor of Ganku (1749/56–1838), the founder of the Kishi school of painters. Like his father, Gantai was known for his vigorous depictions of animals, especially tigers.