Cup with Eight Daoist Immortals
By the early thirteenth century a historical group of eight figures—seven male, and one female—had become symbolic of the attainment of immortality, one of the primary goals of Daoism. Each figure is a patron of a specific group and is identifiable by the object that he (or she) holds. For example, Lan Caihe, patron of gardeners and florists, carries a basket and Han Xiangzi, patron of musicians, has a flute.
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