Celestial Blessings Fu Lu Shou Figurine Set Large

Daoist personifications of good fortune, status and longevity respectively, Fu Lu Shou visually embody their attributes quite literally. Scholarly Fu bears a scroll and cradles a child signifying plenty, whilst Lu, in a mandarin’s robes, grasps a ruyi indicative of bureaucratic power. Shou’s bulbous bald head, luxuriant beard and gnarled staff may already indicate old age, but he also carries a peach, symbolic of immortality. Usually depicted in more human-like proportions, the amusingly rotund appearance of Xu Xiao Yong’s trio incorporates the concept of ‘roundness’ significant to Chinese culture, representing as it does the notions of completeness, fulfilment and unity. Included stands in composite resin have concealed magnets to secure them in place when displayed as shown. Fu Lu Shou 福禄寿, or the Sanxing 三星 Three Stars, are gods of the three celestial bodies Jupiter, Mizar and Canopus, and the three characteristics of good fortune Fu, status Lu and longevity Shou in Chinese folk beliefs. The term ‘fu lu shou’, and the display of the three figures, is common in Chinese society to indicate and attract these three attributes of a desirable life. About the collection Celestial Blessings by Xu Xiao Yong commemorates the mythologies and deities of Chinese culture. Lauded as one of China’s top sculptors, Xu is the recipient of numerous arts-related awards and serves as a member of the United Nations Arts Initiative.