dolm:
China. Beijing. 1999. Forbidden palace. Stuart Franklin.
These inexpensive watercolors were often sold as pilgrimage and tourist souvenirs. In addition to being a memento of a trip, these paintings also offered critiques of contemporary life and events. Although cats are unpopular pets in India, the image of a cat eating another animal represents the hypocritical monk who continues to indulge in pleasures of the flesh despite having renounced the material world.
“Cat Holding a Parrot in Its Mouth,” late 19th–early 20th century, made in India
“Souvenir Painting of a Cat Eating a Fish,” c. 1900, made in India
“Souvenir Painting of a Cat Holding a Prawn in Its Mouth,” c. 1900, made in India
Item: wristwatch containing a bored but hardworking Pixie that points at the time for you