A set of famille verte and biscuit figures of the Eight Immortals

18th Century

This rare and complete set of the Eight Daoist Immortals (Baxian) is conceived as a unified sculptural ensemble, each figure individually identifiable through carefully articulated attributes while forming a visually and philosophically coherent group. The subject occupied a central position in Daoist iconography, and the Eight Immortals were among the most popular figural themes in Chinese art of the 18th and 19th centuries, produced both for the domestic Chinese market and for export to the West.

The Eight Immortals were deliberately conceived as a diverse assembly, encompassing figures of different ages, genders, social status, and temperament. Together they embody the Daoist belief that transcendence is attainable by all, irrespective of worldly rank or circumstance. When displayed as a set, they functioned not only as decorative objects but as a visual compendium of moral exemplars, auspicious symbolism, and aspirational virtues within the elite interior.

Each immortal in the present group is identified by traditional attributes and pose:

• Zhongli Quan, the elder and spiritual leader, symbolising authority, alchemy, and mastery over life and death.

• Lü Dongbin, the scholar and swordsman, emblematic of learning, moral cultivation, and the triumph of wisdom.

• Li Tieguai, the beggar immortal, representing compassion, healing, and spiritual power unconcerned with physical form.

• Lan Caihe, the unconventional and androgynous immortal, associated with spontaneity and freedom from social convention.

• He Xiangu, the sole female immortal, embodying purity, health, and feminine virtue.

• Han Xiangzi, the musician and poet, symbolising artistic inspiration and harmony with nature.

• Zhang Guolao, the eccentric sage of longevity, associated with paradox and wisdom.

• Cao Guojiu, the nobleman immortal, representing integrity, justice, and redemption through virtue.

Sets of individually identifiable Immortals were most commonly produced in the famille rose palette. The present ensemble is therefore highly unusual in its execution in famille verte, a palette more typically associated with the late Kangxi and early Yongzheng periods, and further distinguished by the exceptional quality of its modelling, the vitality of the figures, and the consistency of scale and decoration throughout the set. The elevated bases enhance their ceremonial presence and reinforce the sense that the figures were conceived and fired as a single group rather than assembled over time.

Comparable famille verte representations of Daoist Immortals are rare. Two famille verte figures dated to the early 18th century are illustrated by C. J. A. Jörg, Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, London, 1997, p.191, no.215. A related set of four famille verte Immortals, dated to the Kangxi period, is illustrated in E. J. Sullivan (ed.), The Taft Museum: Its History and Collections, Vol. II, New York, 1995, p.683, museum nos. 1931.35, 37, 40, and 42.

Taken together, the present set stands as an exceptional survival of a rare palette applied to one of the most intellectually and symbolically charged subjects in Chinese art, combining sculptural vitality, iconographic clarity, and scholarly significance at the highest level.