Beauties and Heroes: Legends and Stories in Chinese Art
(from 21st Jan until 15th Jul 2012)Explore paintings, prints and papercuts depicting legendary figures from Chinese folklore.
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Seated court lady
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Description
Li Jian was a native of Shunde County, Guangdong province. He was famous for being a poet, painter, and calligrapher in Guangdong in the mid-Qing dynasty. Li never broke into the official circles and remained an independent artist, hence his hao (alternate name) Kuangjian, or ‘the wild Jian’. He sold his paintings to make a living.
The inscription on the fan reads ‘[I] gave up all jewellery and secretly sewed a Taoist gown, intending to move into the Jinxian Taoist temple. However, it was recently discovered by the King that I could read. I was therefore taken to his desk to help with clerical work. Painted to represent a Tang dynasty [AD 618-907] palace poem.’
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Details
- Associated place
- Date
- 1747 - 1799
- Material and technique
- ink and colour on silk
- Dimensions
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mount 55.6 x 40.3 cm (height x width)
painting 25.9 x 26 cm (height x width)
- Material index
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organic › animal › animal product › silk
- Technique index
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Purchased, 1960.
- Accession no.
- EA1960.223
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Further reading
Vainker, Shelagh, Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2000), no. 2.14 on p. 218, illus. p. 219 fig. 2.14
Past Exhibitions
see all (2)-
Lingnan Masters: South Chinese Painting in Transition 1800–2000
(from 6th Aug 2013 until 23rd Feb 2014) -
Location
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- currently in research collection
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
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Notice
Objects from past exhibitions may have now returned to our stores or a lender. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so please contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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