The Taoist immortal Heavenly Mother Xi Wang Mu is considered a magnificent luminous goddess of well being, life and immortality. As Queen Mother of the West she is said to live with her white cranes and red phoenixes in a jade palace by a lake, where she grows exquisite, luscious peaches. These peaches are said to blossom every 3000 years and those who taste their sweet juices are granted immortality.

Exquisitely carved from a single block of camphor wood, using an unique Chinese formula of gesso and saw-dust mixture, the statue is meticulously detailed with ultra fine embossed motifs, and ornamental jewel chains that festoon the edges of her robes. The application of lacquer; completed with layers of and polychrome and gold leaf finishing created an effect reminiscent of gilded bronze sculpture. Such elaborate design is the hallmark of the Daoist influence in the Qing eras (1644-1911 A.D.).