These gilt then lacquered wood reliefs represent the Eight Immortals revered by the Chinese Taoists. This was a legendary group of eight beings who transcended the human state through meditation, discipline and the intake of miraculous substances, becoming endowed with divine powers. The Eight Immortals, like Yin and Yang, may be associated with the principle of opposites: rich and poor, young and old, aristocrat and commoner, man and woman. Their cult probably originated during the Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD), but their popular devotion is certainly linked to the Ming Dynasty novel “Journey to the East”, written by Wu Yuantai (mid-17th century).
