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This high-quality work of art is intricately spun using silk onto a sturdy fabric mat backing. It is lined by an equally elegant border of embroidered silk. It is approx 59 in x 22 in.
The Ba Xian (八仙), also called the Eight Immortals, are a group of legendary heroes of ancient times who fight for justice and vanquish evil, according to Chinese mythology. Popular during the Tang and Shang Dynasties, the Eight Immortals are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea.
Although they have always been an important part of Chinese oral history, their stories were first recorded by the Ming Dynasty poet Wu Yuantai.
The Immortals are comprised of Cao Guojiu (曹國舅), Han Xiangzi (韓湘子), He Xiangu (何仙姑), Lan Caihe (藍采和), Li Tieguai (李鐵拐), Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓), Zhang Guolao (張果老), and Zhongli Quan (鍾離權). He Xiangu is the only woman of the group. Each of the Ba Xian have their own special object from which they draw their powers. This group is considered to be especially important figures in Taoism.
A predominant format of Chinese painting is the handscroll, a continuous roll of paper or silk of varying length on which an image has been painted, and which, when not being viewed, remains rolled up. Ceremony and anticipation underlie the experience of looking at a handscroll.
