9. Spring Dawn in the Han Palace – Qiu Ying
Qiu Ying (ca. 1494 – ca. 1552) (pronounced Ch’iu Ying) was born to a peasant family in Taicang. After moving to Suzhou, he became an apprentice to a lacquer artisan. Despite his family’s humble origins, he had a talent for painting. He worked in the gongbi style, a careful realist technique in Chinese painting. It uses brushstrokes that outline details very precisely. It is often highly colored and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects.
Leisure in the Palace
The artist featured court ladies in his works and drew inspiration from the past. For example in Spring Dawn in the Han Palace he imagines the court ladies in the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) palace. The handscroll opens with the palace gates and then leads us through sumptuous courtyards. Here, elegant ladies engage in various leisurely activities. You can see one lady leaning over the rails with her children to watch the fish in the lake. Two peacocks impatiently wait for their meal as a lady tosses food at them.
Qiu Ying was skilled at describing building structures and furnishings. He accurately represented architectural elements as well. He modeled ladies’ dresses after those of the Tang and Song dynasties. However, their bodies are slenderer and more delicate, which was an image of feminine beauty recognized in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). In another scene, the court ladies play a game of weiqi or Go, an ancient Chinese board game. To the left, some prepare a roll of woven silk, while others are weaving a tapestry. You can also see a mother playing with her two children.
Mao Yanshou and His Deception
These depictions present a harmonious court life. However, court life also had a more competitive side. For example, Qiu Ying painted a narrative depicting the concubines of Emperor Yuan (75 BCE – 33 BCE). In ancient times, an emperor was presented with portraits of the women before meeting with them. This way he could decide whom to choose as a consort. Hoping to attract the emperor’s attention, court ladies often bribed court artist Mao Yanshou to paint them more beautifully than they actually were. But one lady, Wang Zhaojun refused to bribe the artist. As revenge, Mao Yanshou depicted her as ugly, with moles on her face.
In the painting, Wang Zhaojun sits in front of a screen while the artist paints her portrait. The other concubines are gossiping among themselves as they watch the painting progress. Two eunuchs in the foreground are talking with each other. They are aware of the bribes and Mao Yanshou’s deception.
After seeing Mao Yanshou’s distorted portrait, Emperor Yuan never visited Wang Zhaojun. Consequently, she remained a lady-in-waiting. However, one day, the ruler of the Xiongnu empire came to the Han court to establish a relationship through marriage. The emperor chose Wang Zhaojun as the bride, believing that she was the least attractive of his ladies. Only when she was summoned did Emperor Yuan realize that she was the most beautiful woman at court. It was too late though, and the offer had already been made. Enraged by Mao Yanshou’s deceit, the emperor ordered the artist to be executed.
