Asian Art Museum - San Francisco
Cat with Kitten and Butterfly - China
Cats and butterflies are among the many symbols of longevity. The cat (mao) sounds like the word for seventy, while the butterfly (die) shares a sound with the word for eighty. They form a visual pun for maodie (longevity).

Asian Art Museum - San Francisco

Cat with Kitten and Butterfly - China

Cats and butterflies are among the many symbols of longevity. The cat (mao) sounds like the word for seventy, while the butterfly (die) shares a sound with the word for eighty. They form a visual pun for maodie (longevity).