Gracie in the Garden

This painting illustrates how the simplest of motifs, ie the cat, can have a fascinating back story in another culture.

Long ago, the Jade Emporer declared there would be a grand race between all the animals to decide which 12 were to be depicted on the zodiac. The rat and the cat were enemies so one story says that the rat neglected to wake the cat in time for the race. Another story says that the cat was crossing the river on the back of the ox, and the rat pushed him into the river.