A daimyo, 1800-1840. Yamato-e - classically styled painting on silk - apparently of a wealthy aristocrat, perhaps a daimyo or 'lord', but with the head of a rat. Whether it refers to a specific figure cannot be determined, but its design was unlikely to be insulting. Allusive animal images populate the zodiacal cycles of the calendar. The rat, for example, was associated with Daikoku, the god of wealth.

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Size: 4928px × 8181px
Photo credit: © Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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