The history of animal - themed paintings in China can be traced back to around 6,000 or 7,000 years ago when Chinese ancestors used the imagery of fish, bird and frog, which were closely related to their daily life, as decorative patterns on earthenware. During the following dynasties, taotie (a mythical ferocious animal in Chinese legends), buffalo, sheep, horse, deer, tiger, oxen, cat, monkey, dog are mostly presented in paintings. Like ancient figure painters who aimed at a likeness not only in appearance but also in spirit, the pet portrait artists also paid special attention to displaying the unique motion and expression of different animals.