Jade Woman among Clouds. 'The ‘jade woman’ in this painting an ethereal beauty, who looks down with compassion on humankind from her nebulous abode - on an extraordinary billowing cloud in the heavens. The figure of the ‘jade woman’ evolved over thousands of years in China from the legendary Queen Mother of the West. Early sources refer to her as a monstrous figure – with a leopard’s tail, a tiger’s teeth and fierce countenance. In pre-dynastic times, before 221 BC, people believed she had the power of life and death over humans. Emperors sent envoys to seek the elixir of immortality from he
Jade Woman among Clouds. 'The ‘jade woman’ in this painting an ethereal beauty, who looks down with compassion on humankind from her nebulous abode - on an extraordinary billowing cloud in the heavens. The figure of the ‘jade woman’ evolved over thousands of years in China from the legendary Queen Mother of the West. Early sources refer to her as a monstrous figure – with a leopard’s tail, a tiger’s teeth and fierce countenance. In pre-dynastic times, before 221 BC, people believed she had the power of life and death over humans. Emperors sent envoys to seek the elixir of immortality from her. In legend, she bestowed a magical flat peach – which bore fruit just once every three millennia - on Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty; eating the peach would give the eater immortality.' —Chester Beatty Library 690 Jade Woman among Clouds, by Cui Zizhong
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Photo credit: © The Picture Art Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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