Lot 143D: 王明明 八仙图立轴精品 画, attributed to Wang Mingming (1952-alive), Chinese scroll paper painting Eight Immortals;

Heart size: 95 cm × 47 cm; Provenance: private collection in USA; Wang Mingming is a Chinese artist who was born in 1952 in Beijing, China and who has succeeded in combining the spacious and imaginary brushstrokes of the ancient scholar paintings with the feelings and thoughts of modern life. Auction results: five paintings sold between $6,908 and $236,671 USD. The Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙; pinyin: Bāxiān; Wade–Giles: Pa¹-hsien¹) are a group of legendary xian ("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel (法器) that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (暗八仙). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song Dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Mount Penglai. The Immortals are: • He Xiangu (何仙姑), this particular immortal is considered female. • Cao Guojiu (曹國舅), a princely actor among the eight. • Li Tieguai (李鐵拐), he is considered to be a male immortal who is also mentally disturbed. • Lan Caihe (藍采和), this particular immortal and their gender is considered to be ambiguous. • Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓), he is considered to be their leader. • Han Xiangzi (韓湘子), he is a flute artist among the eight. • Zhang Guolao (張果老), he is associated with old age. • Zhongli Quan (鍾離權), he is associated with death.