Familiars of Fortune - Lucky Moon Rabbit

Contact us at info@louisemcnaught.com for purchase details Oil, acrylic and gold leaf on birch panel, 30x30x3cm. Comes with a signed palette that was used to create the piece, a shūgi-bukuro (祝儀袋) envelope containing a golden moon necklace that the moon rabbit is wearing in the painting. The rabbits aura glows by black light, see additional images).
The Moon Rabbit comes from an ancient Japanese tale of compassion and selflessness. Unable to find food for a hungry stranger, the rabbit offered itself instead. The stranger revealed himself to be a god and, moved by the rabbit’s sacrifice, placed its image upon the Moon, where legend says it can still be seen today. Here, the rabbit raises its paw in the maneki-neko gesture, beckoning good fortune. The vast gold moon represents intuition, cycles and renewal, while the pestle and mortar reference the Japanese belief that the Moon Rabbit eternally pounds rice to make mochi, a symbol connected with abundance, nourishment and prosperity. The moonflowers, which unfurl after dark, symbolise transformation, mystery and beauty emerging from darkness.
The lightning represents the maneki-neko legend in which a beckoning cat drew a samurai away from beneath a tree moments before lightning struck the very place he had been sheltering, representing protection, fate and unexpected good fortune.