Artwork Page for Palace Ladies

Details / Information for Palace Ladies

Palace Ladies

漢宮春曉圖

1644–1911

copy after Qiu Ying 仇英

(Chinese, 1494–1552)
Culture
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Medium
handscroll; ink and color on silk
Measurements
Overall: 36.2 x 454.4 cm (14 1/4 x 178 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of I. Theodore Kahn 1954.369
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

This handscroll illustrates the pursuits of court ladies in a palace precinct on a spring day. Women, young girls, and their maids amuse themselves by sitting on a swing, playing games, watering and admiring peonies, performing music together, playing the qin (zither), feeding a parrot on the balustrade and fish in the water, or catching butterflies. The life of elite women was mostly restricted to the so-called inner quarters, meaning the garden and inner courts of the house. This painting idealizes the world of young palace girls that in fact was often filled with boredom and waiting for a lover.
A horizontally oriented silk fragment features three distinct horizontal bands of color with a dense, woven texture. A dark gray border runs along the top edge, followed by a band of light tan. The bottom half consists of a muted, darker brown. Fine, horizontal lines create a uniform ribbing across the entire surface, highlighting the delicate grain of the substrate.

Palace Ladies

1644–1911

Qiu Ying

(Chinese, 1494–1552)
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

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