331.
A POLYCHROME ENAMELED AND GILT FIGURE OF CAO GUOJIU WITH GILT METAL BASE
the figure Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, mid 18th century; the base European, 19th century
27,8 cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 3875.
The character portrayed in this statuette can be identified with Cao Guojiu, one of the Eight Immortals (baxian) of the Taoist tradition. He is the only noble of the group, and is always depicted wearing official court robes and hat, holding the Song dynasty official’s scepter in his right hand. According to legends, he was the brother of an empress. He decided at some point in his life to become a hermit, dedicating himself to the practices to achieve immortality.
A very similar figure of a Daoist immortal is in the British Royal Collection (J. Ayers, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, 2 voll. London 2016, I, p. 324, n. 746).
