Set of four panels depicting the Eight Immortals, early 20th century (silk)

In the Daoist belief system, the eight immortals are powerful figures with supernatural abilities to bestow life or destroy evil. Each panel in this set illustrates two of the eight immortals with their attributes: Lü Dongbin with his emblem, a sword, slung across his back, and Zhang Guolao, holding the yugu, a kind of musical instrument in the shape of a bamboo tube (first panel); Zhongli Quan, with a bare belly, holding a fan in his hand, and Han Xiangzi, performing on the flute (second panel); Cao Guojiu, with a characteristic court headdress and official robes, holding a pair of castanets, and Lan Caihe, who carries an elixir of immortality such as a lingzhi fungus (third panel); He Xian'gu, the only female figure of the group, carrying a lotus leaf that bears a peach, and Li Tieguai, holding a pilgrim's gourd from which a scroll is escaping, emblematic of his power to set his spirit free from the body (fourth panel).