Court Lady in Palace Garden with Servants

Artist Shen Ying (Chinese)

Artist Gu Fang (Chinese)

Datelate 17th-early 18th century

MediumHanging scroll (laid down on panel); ink and color on silk

DimensionsFramed: 56 3/4 × 27 inches (144.15 × 68.58 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number34-278

On View

Not on view

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionWoman in blue brocade robe attended by two maids, one offering a pipe, the other, a cup of tea. Pavilion and crane in background; figures in a walled garden in the foreground.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "The Art of the Forbidden City," 1955.

The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH. "From Ming to Ch'ing," February 11-October 12, 1975.

Gallery Label

Formally dressed, the woman plays the role of the aging concubine fading away in the palace women’s quarters. Her servant offers her a pipe to pass the time. Smoking was a popular social activity in Qing China, but images of women smoking alone suggest a longing for intimacy. She holds a finger-citron, a symbol of female allure. The detailed facial features and mature age suggest that this is a real-life portrait. If so, the erotic symbolism suggests that the intended viewer of this portrait could only have been her husband.

Provenance

Purchased through Laurence Sickman by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1934.

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