Detail of the scroll showing one seated figure and one kneeling figure holding a broom-like device above the other figure’s head. Both figures are robed.
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Unknown Maker, Chinese

Gathering of Immortals

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Gathering of Immortals

Year

early 1800s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

Length: 251.5 cm (99 inches) (longest dimension)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

55.232

Type

Exhibition History

Being and Believing in the Natural World
Perspectives from the Ancient Mediterranean, Asia, and Indigenous North America
Oct 22, 2022 – Jun 04, 2023

Label copy

Amidst lush gardens and flowing streams, immortal beings and deities gather to welcome the Queen Mother of the West, seen descending from the upper left on a phoenix. Likely a fantastical depiction of Mount Kunlun, a sacred mountain for Daoist practitioners, this elaborately painted and embroidered landscape represents an after- life paradise. Auspicious symbols abound, including peaches of immortality and pines of longevity, promising devotees a blissful eternal existence.

-WC

From the Land of the Immortals
Chinese Taoist Robes and Textiles
Jan 13, 2012 – Apr 22, 2012

Label copy

This large, meticulously woven hanging textile scroll most likely represents a gathering of immortals to celebrate the birthdays of the Three Stars (sanxing),

Shou Xing, Fu Xing, and Lu Xing. A staple of Taoist iconography, also referred to with the Chinese characters Shou ? (longevity), Fu ? (happiness), and Lu ? (reward), the Three Stars represent these objectives, which were important especially at the most popular level of Taoist belief.

This auspicious theme, often associated with birthdays, became popular during the late Ming period. Given its size and the quality of the fine silk tapestry weave, this piece probably hung in a palace hall or a wealthy temple. The elaborate scene is likely inspired by a popular drama, the Qunxian qingshou Pantao hui (Gathering Immortals Celebrate Longevity at the Flat Peaches Festival), by the Ming-period dramatist Zhou Youdun.

[Detail 1] The Queen Mother of the West flies on the back of a phoenix attended by two Jade Maidens. This beloved female Taoist immortal resided on Mount Kunlun, where she presided over the fabled garden where the peaches of immortality grew.

[Detail 2] The Three Stars (Shou Xing, Fu Xing, and Lu Xing) are shown at the top of the terrace greeting the Queen Mother of the west. Shou Xing, also known as Old Man Star, resembles the traditional image of the father of Taoism, Laozi. He is generally represented as an old man with a large bald head presenting a large peach, a symbol of long life, to the Queen Mother of the West. Fu Xing is dressed as a court official and carries a ruyi scepter (literally translated "as you wish" the ruyi is a symbol of power and fortune); Lu Xing holds a tray with a bronze ritual vessel.

[Detail 3] Below the Queen Mother of the West, a young woman carrying flower and peaches steers a strange boat, perhaps fashioned out of an ancient peach tree.

[Detail 4] Below the Three Stars are other immortal beings, including the Eight Immortals, Taoist holies famed for having achieved the goal of long life. A group of three stand on the stairs that lead to the terrace: Zhongli Quan, a disheveled scholar with a large, bare belly; Lü Dongbin, an elegant official; and Li Tieguai, the immortal who had to adopt the body of a crippled beggar.

[Detail 5] On a natural bridge at the center of the scroll are He Xiangu, an immortal woman holding a pot of peaches and flowers; Lan Caihe, a young and sexually ambiguous creature holding a flower; Cao Guojiu, the protector of actors with his castanets; and Han Xiangzi, a young boy who plays the flute.

[Detail 6] The immortal Zhang Guolao is an old man who rides a magic mule and holds a paper bag within which he sometimes stores the mule.

[Detail 7] At the bottom of the scroll are other Taoist holies who entertain themselves with various objects and creatures, including a magic mushroom, a deer, and a toad. Among them, we can recognize Dongfang Shuo, the old man who stole a branch of peaches of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, and Liu Hai, the owner of a prodigious three-legged toad.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese
Gathering of Immortals, early 1800s
Silk, metallic-wrapped yarn; tapestry weave, hand painted
Length: 251.5 cm (99 inches) (longest dimension)
Bequest of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich 55.232

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