Pictorial Hanging Illustrating the Feast of Peaches

This tapestry illustrates a classic scene from Daoist mythology, the birthday party given for Xi Wangmu, Queen Mother of the West. Legend held that certain peach trees produced a fruit that offered immortality when eaten. The trees blossomed every 3, 000 years. Once, when these miraculous peaches were ripening, a party was held to honor Xi Wangmu’s birthday. In the tapestry, the queen mother descends from the clouds on a phoenix in the upper left, while the three deities of longevity, official office, and happiness await her arrival on the central terrace. The eight Daoist immortals are shown in the lower register making their way to the festivities. A hanging such as this, full of Daoist imagery for long life, would have been used on special occasions such as birthdays.