The present lot is a lively depiction of the well-known Daoist legend of a mischievous monkey stealing a peach of longevity from the vast peach orchard owned by Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise. It was said that anyone who ate the fruit would become immortal. Another monkey and peach group can be found in the Hartman Collection, illustrated by Robert Kleiner, op. cit., no. 188.