Chinese Artist, Large Lacquered and Carved Bas-Relief, Early 1900s, Carved Wood

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Description

Bas-relief depicting the eight immortals and the "crossing of the seas".

wooden panel with lacquered and carved bas-relief.
measurements: 320 … Read more Bas-relief depicting the eight immortals and the "crossing of the seas".

wooden panel with lacquered and carved bas-relief.
measurements: 320 x 180 cm
period: early twentieth century


the bas-relief depicts the eight immortals and their "crossing of the seas".
the eight immortals are called baxian in chinese:
the term ba (八) means eight, while xiān 仙人, is a sinogram composed of person (人) and mountain (山). The global translation is “immortal”.

it is in the 12th century that the mystical figure of the eight immortals, eight mystics of taoist philosophy, began to be spoken of among the various chinese peoples.

they are represented by a man, a woman, a young man, an old man, a rich man, a poor man, an aristocrat and a proletarian.

they have provided, for centuries, multiple themes to all artists and craftsmen. One of the most frequent shows them in the “crossing of the seas”.

legend has it that the bāxiān set out to participate in a banquet organized in the celestial palace in tibet, invited by the golden mother, a taioist fairy.

to undertake this journey, they were instructed by the sea deity lu yuan to give up their usual means of transport: the cloud.
they then walked on the sea using their magical objects: sticks, swords, musical instruments, fans, etc.
they experienced a thousand adventures during this crossing, and each of these immortals had to use their personal value and power to succeed in the undertaking.


the meaning of this iconography lies in the exhortation to respect and enhance one's personal characteristics, making them flourish, and to do the same, that is, to value and respect the personal qualities of others, because only thanks to this can one overcome adversity and have a great success.
even today the expression "the eight immortals cross the sea" is a widely used proverb to describe those who perform a miracle with their special abilities. See less