Title
Figure of an Eight Immortal, Lan Cai He
Creator
Year/Period
2001-2002
Region
Taiwan, Republic of China
Material
High-Fired Enamel Glazed Stoneware known as Jiaozhi tao
Technique
Hand-sculpting
Dimension
Object size: H26.7cm x L28.9cm x W11cm
Accession No.
2002-00821
Collection of
NLB Type
Ceramic
The Eight Immortals did not emerge as a group until the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368 CE). It is doubtful if they were indeed historical figures. Each of them has a personal mythology traceable to the Han (200 BCE- 220 CE) and Song (960-1279 CE) dynasties. They are also associated with Eight Trigram directions in the Classic of Change or Yijing 易经. Depicted here as a boy, Lan Caihe is of indeterminate sex and is sometimes portrayed as a girl holding a basket of flowers.
