MonoMonday.....Still Life

Chinese folk deities, bringing happiness, prosperity and longevity......
Thanks to JDO for hosting this month. :)


Fu, Lou and Shou
Fu Shen; Lou (or Lu) and Shou 福禄寿 Fú Lù Shòu form a trinity of deities giving good luck, respectively: Happiness; Prosperity and Longevity. They are often portrayed together in statues; ornaments and paintings. They are associated particularly with feng shui and Daoism. Fu Shen 福神 (Happiness) is usually depicted with a scroll, and sometimes with children. The good luck character fu 福 is a representation of him as the God of Happiness. Historically he was a judge in Hunan who rebuked the Liang dynasty Emperor Wudi for his predilection for dwarfs to work as jesters and slaves at court. In gratitude people began to worship his as God of Happiness, he is often shown wearing lucky red colored clothes. Lu (Prosperity) wears a Mandarin's outfit; Shou (Longevity) holds a walking stick and has a large bald forehead and often carries a peach of immortality. Sometimes he is mounted on or stands beside a stag and may be Chinese 'medicinal' mushrooms 灵芝 líng zhī (associated with immortality) carpet the ground. Lu is particularly associated with luck in passing examinations which were the traditional passport to prosperity as a government official.