PANTHEON OF DAOIST AND BUDDHIST GODS AND SAGES China, ca. 18th ct. 139 x 72 cm Ink and colors on silk, mounted as hanging Scroll. The painting seems to be the left part of a triptych from a temple with a larger central main icon. Buddhist and mostly Daoist gods are arranged in four rows facing to the right and surrounded by clouds. Attendants carry banners with the titles of the depicted. In the first row from the bottom, in the foreground, the Bodhisattva of Emptiness (Xukong pusa), the Holy Mother and another goddess are depicted. Above them on the right the gods of the Five Holy Mountains (wu yue) appear wearing Chinese official garment. To their left the banner mentions the gods of the nine luminaries (jiu yao huanggong), of whom only three or five can be seen. In the second row from the top the gods of the twelve hours (yuan chen) are depicted in a smaller scope. At the very top of the painting the gods of the twelve zodiacal mansions appear on the left, followed to the right by the dragon gods of the four rivers (Yangzi, Huanghe, Huai and Qi) and four celestial kings (si du yuanwang). All figures are painted carefully and detailed with expressive faces and rich colors including gold pigment. From an old southern German private collection, acquired between 1970 and 2002 Very minor damages due to age