Antique Queen Mother of the West on Horse, China (16138)

Description

Among the oldest Chinese female Taoist-deities, the Queen-Mother of the West (Hsi Wang Mu) is mentioned in 300 BCE in sacred texts as a goddess who “obtained the Tao.” A patron deity of women and a divine teacher associated with the cultivation of virtue and immortality, she controls the life, death, creation and destruction of individuals and cultures. She lives with her husband the Jade Emperor on a sumptuous palatial estate on Mount Kunlun where she tends the famed peach trees that bloom every 3000 years and bestown immortality to whoever eat the peaches. According to Irvin, she is one of the Great Chinese Goddesses.

She wears her characteristic phoenix headdress, her iconic emblem of beauty that symbolizes the sun. Her square face is framed by abundant hair, hanging earrings and pendulous signifying her enlightened status. Her regal status is indicated by her long three-part gown with a high collared tunic and wide sleeves ending above her pointed shoes. While her left hand rests on the left leg, her right is held up and carries the peach of immortality.

Like other Taoist images on our site, she sits on a horse. The artist has emphasized Hsi Wang Mu’s strength and  by making her very large in comparison to her mount. The horse is also outfitted to reflect the importance of the deity he carries, as he is arrayed with a wide blanket hanging down his sides, prominent head gear, and a double rowed harness with a decorative medallion.

The Queen Mother of the West became associated with horses through the legendary book, the Tale of King Mu, the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE) emperor who traveled to her famed palace on Mount Kunlun to seek immortality in a chariot drawn by eight divine horses. These horses were described in a popular historical romance story in the mid 17^th century that then became a common theme for Chinese decorative art and sculpture. This widespread artistic motif reinforced the association between the Queen Mother of the West and the noble horses, linking these noble steeds to the journey for immortality. Also, Dr. Thomas Ritter notes that the frequent presence of horses in Taoist images symbolizes “man’s harmony with and the elegance of nature “ [in] Lao Tsu’s Tao Te Ching.

The garments which were red and black pigment covered with thick lacquer have losses and crackles consistent with age. The c decorative plinth on which the carving sits was added later.The back cavity is missing its cover (bung), but contains the script inserted when it was consecrated during an eye opening ceremony, indicating it was likely placed on a home altar.

The Queen Mother of the West is worshipped today in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other overseas Chinese communities.

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