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Faculty Dialogue: Payoffs from Chen Shu��s Paintings and Persona

In seventeenth-century China, courtesans (mingji ����) and gentry women painters had different motivations to paint, and their paintings circulated outside their boudoirs. Many women painters, such as Chen Shu ꐕ� (1660-1736), used their paintings to support their families financially. These talented women and their families were involved in creating and presenting the painters�� artistic personae. Through examples of inscriptions on Chen Shu��s paintings, we see how Chen Shu��s son, Qian Chenqun �X�Ⱥ (1686-1774), used her paintings and persona to reinforce his relationship with the Qianlong Ǭ¡ emperor and gain prestige for the family and future generations. He constructed his mother��s persona as a virtuous mother and a good wife, and, simultaneously, presented himself as a loyal subject and a filial son. He thus not only helped promote Chen Shu��s virtue but also successfully maintained a long-term relationship with the emperor and negotiated prestige for himself and the Qian family even after his retirement. Sylvia W.S. Lee earned her PhD in Art History at the Chinese U of Hong Kong and her MA in Art History from UHM. Kate A. Lingley is Associate Professor of Art History at UHM. This talk is co-sponsored with the UHM Department of Art & Art History

Event Sponsor
Center for Chinese Studies, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Pauli Tashima, 808-956-2663, china@hawaii.edu, , Chen Shu's Paintings Webinar (PDF)