Goddess He Xiangu. China, 20th century.Coral.Wooden base.Weight: 636 gr. (without base).Measurements: 22 x 18 x 3 cm (without base); 28 x 19 x 10.5 cm (with base).Coral carving representing an exuberant lady carrying flowers. By her attire we recognize He Xiangu, the only woman of the group of the Eight Taoist Immortals of Chinese mythology. Her symbol is the lotus flower, which improves physical and mental health. Sometimes she is also represented with a sheng - a musical instrument similar to a panpipe - with a fenghuang or with a wooden spoon. Among the most beautiful products that the sea offers to the vanity of humans is, without a doubt, red coral, which in all times has served as a precious adornment with which many peoples adorned and ornamented themselves. In some Eastern cultures, red coral is not only a highly esteemed adornment, but also a sign of dignity or command: the mandarins of China wore it as an attribute of their authority. The Turks were also very fond of coral ornaments, which they wore not only on their person, but also in the decoration and ornamentation of their homes. The Greeks designated coral by the name of korallion, which means "ornament of the sea", this word passed into Latin as corallium, from which the word coral was derived. The color of the limestone shaft offers a great variety of shades ranging from red to pink and some of these colorations have a delicate and soft pink hue, the most sought after by divers. The limestone shaft is so compact and homogeneous that it can be subjected to the most perfect polishing without disintegration and cracking, a property that allows it to be worked and carved in a thousand different ways to achieve countless objects of adornment or art.