Antique Taoist Queen Mother of the West Xiwangmu, China (16142BCK)

Description

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) is the most significant of the female Taoist deities and is viewed as having magical powers to controls life, death, creation and destruction and determines the lifespan of every living being. She lives with her husband the Jade Emperor in Kunlun Mountain where she attends her famous garden containing the peaches of immortality. Lee Irvin identifies her as one of the Great Chinese Goddesses who epitomizes the feminine role of compassionate protector and grants health, long life and safety to all regardless of their social position. As a syncretic goddess, she has a huge cult following among Taoist, Popular Religion and even Buddhist devotees. As her popularity grew, she assumed great power in local cultures where and became a folk deity and patron goddess of women as a divine teacher focused on the cultivation of virtue. Local artisans made small provincial statues for use on a home altar that did not closely follow iconographic traditions and created modest and unadorned images of her as a humble and matronly in modest clothes with a phoenix on her headdress. On her birthday, Taoists, especially women, perform rituals and pray for her to grant them and their family good health and longevity. The carving is in very good condition and was originally painted in polychrome and  lacquer finish much of which remains, although the base may have a stucco restoration . The original bung on th rear covers a carved cavity that held or may still hold items from its consecration in an eye-opening ceremony.

See the Blog Consecrating Wooden Images to Imbue Them with A Life Force 

See the Blog The Queen Mother of the West Xiwangmu: Taoism’s Iconic Female Sovereign of Immortals 

Sources:
Lee Irwin, “Divinity and Salvation: The Great Goddesses of China,” in Asian Folklore Studies, Indiana University, Vol. 49, 1990, pp 53-68.