Set of Five Plates: Hsi Wang-mu and Her Maid
maker
Unknown
Date19th century
Place MadeChina, East Asia
MediumPorcelain painted in enamels on white glaze ground
Dimensions17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
ClassificationsVessels
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberC18e13.1-5
eMuseum ID727674
EmbARK ObjectID15572
TMS Source ID4115
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis set of five Chinese plates depict Hsi-wang Mu, or Queen Mother of the West, a goddess in Chinese religion and mythology. Hsi-wang Mu is traditionally depicted within her palace on the mythological Mount Kunlun, often accompanied by other goddesses and handmaidens. She is depicted with a handmaiden on these five plates. Some myths state that Hsi-wang Mu has a special orchard of longevity peaches in her garden that ripen once every three thousand years and grant immortality to humans, while other myths state that her palace is located close to the orchard of the Peaches of Immortality. Whatever the specific geography, Hsi-wang Mu is often depicted with peach trees, peach blossoms, and peaches. On these five plates, the peach blossom motif is repeated, and the handmaiden can be seen carrying a large peach.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 143. (as Chinese, dated early 18th century)
MarksNotesInscribed in blue: Ta Min Ch'eng-hua nien chih [translation: made in the reign of Ch'eng-hua (Great Ming dynasty, 1465-1487)]
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by 1918.
