An impressive Chinese root carving of an immortal figure. Very well carved, the teeth are made from bone and the eyes porcelain.
Dating from around 1900, in good condition apart from a couple of splits that you can see in the photographs and a missing toe on one of the feet.
I believe that the subject of the carving is Lu Dongbin, the chief leader. Lü Dongbin was an 8th-century scholar, who learned the secrets of Taoism from Zhuang Lin Quan. Dressed as a scholar, he is honoured as such.
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The Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙; pinyin: Bāxiān; Wade–Giles: Pa¹-hsien¹) are a group of legendary xian ("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel (法器) that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (暗八仙). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song Dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Mount Penglai.
Dating from around 1900, in good condition apart from a couple of splits that you can see in the photographs and a missing toe on one of the feet.
I believe that the subject of the carving is Lu Dongbin, the chief leader. Lü Dongbin was an 8th-century scholar, who learned the secrets of Taoism from Zhuang Lin Quan. Dressed as a scholar, he is honoured as such.
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The Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙; pinyin: Bāxiān; Wade–Giles: Pa¹-hsien¹) are a group of legendary xian ("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel (法器) that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (暗八仙). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song Dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Mount Penglai.