Hanging with Queen Mother of the West Banquet Design
Item
Title
Culture
Style/period
Material
Measurements
Identifier
Description
The Queen Mother of the West Xiwangmu (西王母) is associated with the female principle yin 陰, the element metal, the western direction, and the autumn season. In the Daoist school of Highest Purity (Shangqing 上清), she is believed to control the length of human life. Her paradise realm is thought to be in the remote Kunlun Mountains and to include a garden with peach trees that bear fruit only once every 3000 years. These are the famed peaches of immortality, which the Queen Mother of the West only offers to those deemed virtuous enough to transcend into the abode of the immortals. Her garden is filled with animals that symbolize qualities such as longevity and peace (he 和, symbolized by a crane, he 鶴), and wealth acquired through a good emolument (lu 錄, symbolized by a deer, lu 鹿).
One famous legend relating to the Queen Mother of the West is shown in this hanging, where she is seen traveling through the clouds, approaching the immortals who have gathered for the birthday celebration she hosts beside Jasper Lake. At left, servants carry an enormous peach in preparation for the banquet.
Such a kesi hanging was commissioned to be gifted as a grand gesture for a renowned personality celebrating a high numbered birthday.