Eight Daoist Immortals Welcoming Jurōjin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this diptych, some of the revered Eight Daoist Immortals of ancient China look skyward to watch the god of longevity, Shaolaoren (known in Japanese as Jurōjin), descend from above on a crane. Most of the immortals are easily identifiable. On the left scroll are Lu Dongbin, carrying a sword on his back; He Xiangu, the sole female, holding a magic mushroom; and Zhang Guolao, who turns his back and releases a miniature donkey from a bag. On the right scroll are Lan Caihe with clappers and Li Tieguai, who creates a miniature image of himself by blowing into the air. The basket of flowers is an attribute of Han Xiangzi, who had the power to make flowers grow and bloom instantly. The exaggerated foreignness of some of the faces, verging on the grotesque, and the nervous, wavering outlines of the robes highlighted in white suggest that the unidentified painter, probably an artist of the Kano school, may have been copying from a Chinese work.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art