Cao Guojiu

Lilly Library Artworks

First Floor:

Mrs. Benjamin N. Duke (painting)
Benjamin N. Duke (painting)
Tending The Flock (painting)
Beach Scene (painting)
Mary L. Duke (painting)
Angier B. Duke (painting)
William K. Boyd (painting)
Thomas J. Jarvis (painting)
Washington Duke (painting)
Duke University in Picture (book)
Bessie Whitted Spence (painting)
Benjamin N. Duke (painting)
James H. Southgate (painting)
Grand Master Clock
Eva Earnshaw Malone (painting)
Benjamin N. Duke (marble bust)
Library Table

Second Floor:

James A. Thomas and Two Eunuchs (photograph)
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Read (photograph)
Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek (photograph)
Sarah P. Duke (painting)
Mary Duke Lyon (painting)
The Reapers (painting)
Marble Lions (statues)

Thomas Room:

James A. Thomas (painting)
Porcelain Urns with Mythical Beasts
Embroidered Bedspread
Chinese Rug
Ishii Vases
Carved Chests
Wei To (embroidery)
Elderly Man (scroll)
People in Outdoor Setting (scroll)
Lady in Red (scroll)
Calligraphy (scroll)
Porcelain Lion Lamps
Table with Marble Top
Cheang Park Chew (painting)
Porcelain Urns with Lids
Chinese Cabinet
Imperial Robe
Coromandel Screen
Teakwood Tables
Altar Table
Embroidered Scroll with Nine Figures
- He Xiangu
- Han Xiang
- Cao Guojiu
- Lü Dongbin
- Shouxing
- Zhongli Quan
- Zhang Guolao
- Lan Caihe
- Li Tieguai
Winter Landscape (ink on silk)

Cao Guojiu

Cao Guojiu

Cao Guojiu, patron of the theatrical profession, is the third image on the scroll. He was the brother of the Empress Cao, and he is always depicted wearing an imperial court dress. Another brother’s crimes led him to seek a holy life; it was because of his diligent pursuit and dedication to this that the other seven immortals selected him to join them. Beside him is a qilin, the emblem of "perfect good" and the attendant goals of wisdom in administration, felicity, and accomplished descendants. These Chinese unicorns appear at the birth of a good and wise ruler.