A pair of three-legged toads

Formerly attributed to Li Di (active late 12th-early 13th century)

The magic toad, which represents the “essence” (zhenjing) in internal elixir (neidan) practices, was believed to appear whenever Daoist immortal Liu swung a string of coins. The coins signify Liu’s enlightenment by an immortal who stacked ten eggs on one coin by way of alluding to the precariousness of human existence. In the late Qing period (1644– 1911), a three-legged toad was also used to pray for beneficial rain.

Date: 1368-1644
Type: Painting
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Department: NMAA
Institution: National Museum of Asian Art
Object number: fsg_F1916.571e
Credit: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

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A pair of three-legged toads

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