Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011
Apr 7, 2011

Palace Ladies

Palace Ladies

1644–1911

copy after Qiu Ying 仇英

(Chinese, 1494–1552)

Handscroll, ink and color on silk

Overall: 36.2 x 454.4 cm (14 1/4 x 178 7/8 in.)

Gift of I. Theodore Kahn 1954.369

Location

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.

See also
Collection: 
ASIAN - Handscroll
Department: 
Chinese Art
Type of artwork: 
Painting

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.