Scott No: -
Serial number: 2011-25
Values in set: 6
Date of issue: September 26, 2011
Denomination: 930 fen
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps: 30 * 50 mm
Perforation: 13.5
Sheet composition: 12 (Value 1, 2 for Sheet I; Value 3, 4 for Sheet II; Value 5, 6 for Sheet III)
Size of sheet: 230 * 145 mm
Printing process: Offset
Printing House: Henan Provincal Postage Stamp Printing Works

On September 26, 2011, the special stamp "Eighty-Seven Immortals (Details)" (catalog number 2011-25) was officially issued. The set consists of six stamps with face values of 1.20 yuan, 1.20 yuan, 1.20 yuan, 1.20 yuan, 1.50 yuan, and 3.00 yuan respectively, for a total face value of 9.30 yuan. A stamp booklet (catalog number 44-2011) was issued on the same day. The stamps were designed by Wang Huming, with original painting materials provided by the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall, and printed by Henan Post and Telecommunications Printing Factory using offset printing.

The Eighty-Seven Immortals is traditionally attributed to Wu Daozi, the "Sage of Painting" of the Tang Dynasty, and is considered the pinnacle of ancient Chinese baimiao (line drawing) figure painting. The handscroll depicts the grand scene of eighty-seven immortals in procession to pay homage to the Heavenly Lord Yuanshi. The lines are fluid and graceful, exemplifying the classic artistic style known as "Wu's Wind-blown Sleeves." The stamps feature six selected details from the handscroll, presenting the artistic height of ancient Taoist figure painting, preserving the traditional Chinese art of line drawing, and conveying the elegant and vivid aesthetic characteristics of Tang Dynasty figure painting.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

Eighty-Seven Immortals (Detail)

Image: The Southern Heavenly Lord and his attendants, with flowing robes and dignified expressions.
History: This figure is one of the core figures at the front of the handscroll. The immortals are arranged in orderly procession, presenting a grand Taoist celestial audience scene.
Significance: An important group of figures at the opening of the scroll, embodying the ceremonial sense of the immortals' procession.

Eighty-Seven Immortals (Detail)

Image: The Eastern Heavenly Lord at the center, attended by jade maidens, with ceremonial canopies and retinue.
History: The Eastern Heavenly Lord is an important deity in Taoism. The scene is rich in ceremonial elements, reflecting the compositional conventions of ancient Taoist murals.
Significance: A representative main deity in the middle section of the scroll, displaying dignity and majesty.

Eighty-Seven Immortals (Detail)

Image: The Heavenly Lord Fusang with attendant immortals, with lines skillfully combining density and fluidity.
History: This section employs iron-wire and orchid-leaf line drawing techniques, typical of Wu Daozi's linear art.
Significance: A concentrated demonstration of the expressive power of traditional baimiao line drawing.

Eighty-Seven Immortals (Detail)

Image: A group of jade maidens holding ceremonial vessels, with graceful figures and delicate accessories.
History: The scroll features numerous depictions of celestial maidens, with graceful postures reflecting the aesthetic ideals of Tang Dynasty figure depiction.
Significance: A classic segment of celestial maiden imagery, embodying the beauty and vitality of the figures.

Eighty-Seven Immortals (Detail)

Image: A full-front view of the main deity Fusang, flanked by jade maidens, with a balanced and full composition.
History: This section is the visual center of the handscroll, with a clear hierarchical arrangement of figures.
Significance: The core visual section of the entire scroll.

Eighty-Seven Immortals (Detail)

Image: Guardian deity generals holding weapons, with a majestic bearing and robes flowing in the wind.
History: These generals serve as the procession's guards; their robust forms contrast sharply with the gentle images of the celestial maidens.
Significance: The contrast between strength and grace enriches the character system of the handscroll.

Artistic and Design Features:

Format: Uniform vertical stamp format, with six consecutive sections of the scroll that can be joined to appreciate the complete narrative.
Color Treatment: Retains the plain, beige tone of the ancient scroll without adding extraneous colors, faithfully reproducing the original ink line drawing.
Printing Technique: Fine frequency-modulated screening offset printing preserves the variations in line weight and depth, restoring the "Wu's Wind-blown Sleeves" effect.
Innovative Derivative: The stamp booklet unfolds to present the complete scroll, compensating for the fragmentation of the long scroll by individual stamps, with a novel design concept.

This stamp set is a major ancient painting-themed issue in the modern stamp series, focusing on the baimiao masterpiece Eighty-Seven Immortals. The subject matter covers ancient painting, Chinese line drawing, Taoist culture, and Tang Dynasty art. Available in both stamp set and the distinctive long-scroll stamp booklet format, the unique folding structure of the booklet is highly collectible, making this an indispensable item for ancient painting and calligraphy thematic collections.