Eight Drunken Sages, late 18th - early 19th century, Watanabe Nangaku, Japanese, 1767 - 1831, 46 1/16 ¡Ñ 16 9/16 in. (117 ¡Ñ 42.07 cm) (image)76 15/16 ¡Ñ 21 3/4 in. (195.42 ¡Ñ 55.25 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and colors on silk, Japan, 18th-19th century, The Eight Immortals Indulged in Wine (Chin. Yinzhong Baxiange; Jap. Inch? hassenka) portrays a group of Tang dynasty scholars known for their love of alcoholic beverages. They are not deified and here the term 'immortal' is used as a metaphor. The poets Du Fu (712¡V770) and Li Bai (Li Po, 701¡V762) belonged to the group, and therefore named some of their works after the Eight Immortals. A reference can be found in a poem by Du Fu and in the biography of Li Bai in the New Book of Tang (Xin Tang-shu), a classic work of history about the Tang dynasty edited by official scholars of the Song dynasty in 1060.