Minneapolis Institute of Art

Daoist Figures

Attributed to Liu JunLinkedCulture matchlcp-383487f8329a

Date: late 15th–early 16th century
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Object ID: 121131

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

Three figures stand in a mountainous landscape and bid farewell to each other. Their attributes identify them as three of the Eight Immortals from the Daoist tradition. The Eight Immortals are legendary beings, each representing a different condition of life: poverty, wealth, aristocracy, low social rank, age, youth, masculinity, and femininity. Zhong Liquan is on the right and holds a large fan that can resurrect the dead and transform stones into silver or gold. Zhang Guolao, who characterizes old age, is in the center, with a tube-shaped bamboo drum strapped to his back. Cao Guojiu is on the left, dressed in official robes and holding a wine jar; he is regarded as the patron deity of acting and theater. The painting is likely the work of Liu Jun, a court painter of the Ming dynasty, whose work is characterized by dramatic scenes populated with figures. China, Asia

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: The Friends of Bruce Dayton Art Acquisition Fund

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