Creative Commons License
Visit of the Queen Mother of the West
(China )
The Queen Mother of the West (Hsi Wang Mu) has paid but a single visit to earth, in 110 BC, when Emperor Wu Ti of the Han dynasty received her. She is descending in the form of a peacock, as the emperor and empress await her on a special platform. In the Queen Mother's paradise grows the orchard of the peaches of immortality, which ripen once every 3,000 years. She is said to have brought some of these peaches with her on her visit.
The painting can be understood as an expression of one's wish for a long life and immortality. Peach trees are growing at the base of the platform, where cranes, symbols of longevity, can also be seen.
Spurious signature and seals of Qiu Ying (1494-1552).
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Panama-Pacific International Exposition, China Pavilion, San Francisco, 1915; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1915, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 5/12/1995 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 6/1/2000 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 6/20/2000 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
Geographies
China (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 65 1/2 x W: 36 3/8 in. (166.3 x 92.4 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1915
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
35.42