The Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang Pavilion

The Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang Pavilion

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This fan depicts the Daoist immortal Lü Dongbin hovering above the Yüeh-yang Lou, a famous pavilion on the east shore of Lake Dongting, in Hunan Province. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the cult of Lü Dongbin flourished under the influence of the Quanzhen ("Perfect Realization") sect of Daoism. The center of the cult was the Yongle Gong (Temple of Eternal Joy) in Shanxi Province. The painting style of the figures and the architecture and landscape details of this fan relate closely to murals in Yongle Gong that date to the latter half of the Yüan period (1279–1368). Therefore, the cyclical date dingsi inscribed on the wall outside the pavilion in this picture probably corresponds to the year 1377.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang PavilionThe Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang PavilionThe Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang PavilionThe Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang PavilionThe Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang Pavilion

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.