Boxwood (huang yang mu) carving of ‘Cao Guojiu (曹國舅) who is the youngest of the Eight Immortals. He was said to be the uncle of an emperor of the Song dynasty and the younger brother of empress dowager Cao (曹太后). In ancient China the address ‘uncle’ also meant ‘brother-in-law’. As a result of his possible connections to the court, Cao Guojiu is also known as ‘Royal Uncle Cao’. Cao Guojiu's younger brother Cao Jingzhi (曹景植) was a bully, but no one dared to prosecute him because of his powerful connections, not even after he killed someone. Royal Uncle Cao was so struck by sadness and shame about his brother that he resigned his office and left home. ‘Royal Uncle Cao’ is the patron deity of actors. This carving shows him with his castanets. The Eight Immortals (八仙) are a group of legendary saints in Chinese mythology. Their power can bestow life or destroy evil. Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or in the Song period. This carving entered our collection in 2013. It was discovered in a small oriental shop on the Dutch coast together with another carving of the Immortal Zhongli Quan (6273) which is in the collection as well. In total there should have been eight Immortals but six had already been sold. This figure dates from the 1980’s. Size without stand: Height 15 cm. Width 6 cm. Depth 5 cm.