Antique Queen Mother of the West on Horse, China (16138BSE) $625

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. Like other Taoist images on our site, she sits on a horse; and the frequent presence of horses in Taoist images probably reflects Laozi’s Tao Te Ching reference to the horse as a symbol of man’s harmony with and the elegance of nature. This provincial artist emphasizes her power here by making her very large in comparison to her mount. The horse is also outfitted to reflect her importance, as he is arrayed with a wide blanket, prominent head gear and a double rowed harness with a decorative medallion. She wears her characteristic phoenix headdress, her iconic emblem of beauty that symbolizes the sun, which holds back her hair tied in a bun. Her square face is framed by abundant hair, pendulous ears and hanging earrings. Pendulous earlobes signify her enlightened status and her long three-part gown with a high collared tunic and wide sleeves ending above her pointed shoes signify her regal status. Her right is held up in a Taoist mudra called mushti  (fist or “hand seal”) and also represents her force, power and determination. Her garments are painted red and black and covered with thick lacquer which has losses and crackles consistent with age. The carving is attached to a decorative plinth which was added later.The back cavity is missing its cover (bung), but contains the script inserted when it was consecrated, indicating it was probably placed on a home altar. She is worshipped today in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other overseas Chinese communities.This carving is part of the VA Deities-and-Legends Collection.

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