CIRCA 1750, INCISED BINDENSHIELD MARKS, ONE INCISED T, THE OTHER G, BOTH INSCRIBED IN BLACK INK IV

The present figures represent two of the eight Daoist immortals, each representing a different condition. The one with the long beard and bearing a fan in his left hand, is Zhong Li quan, the Chief of the Eight Immortals, and is said to have obtained the secrets of the elixir of life, and the powder of transmutation. He is generally depicted as a fat man with a bare belly, sometimes holding a peach in his hand, and always grasping his emblem, a fan, with which he is said to revive the souls of the dead.

The other could be Zhang Guolao, a recluse who had supernatural powers of magic. He used to be accompanied by a mule, and his emblem is a kind of musical instrument in the shape of a bamboo tube or drum with two drumsticks. Alternatively, it could be Lu Dong bin, a scholar, and patron saint of the barbers. In his right hand he holds a flywhisk, and his emblem, a sword is generally slung across his back. He was exposed to a series of temptations, and having overcome them, was invested with a sword with supernatural powers, which he used to rid the earth of evil.