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Daoist Immortals in the mountains
Formerly attributed to Liu Songnian (傳)劉松年 (ca. 1150-after 1225)
1368-1644
- Medium
- Ink on silk
- Classification
- Paintings
- Dimensions
- H x W (overall): 28.2 x 669 cm (11 1/8 x 263 3/8 in)
- Culture
- Chinese
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Charles Lang Freer
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
Braving the waves and flying on cranes, immortals arrive at a Daoist palace atop a bank of clouds and skyscraping peaks to pay homage to Jen, the God of Infinity. Because immortals were believed to prefer living in high buildings, Daoist architecture is rife with towers and pavilions. The blazing light behind the building marks its extraordinary status as an immortal palace.
