明 傳馬守真 蘭石圖 軸|Orchid and Rock

Ma Shouzhen

dated 1572 · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

In sixteenth-century China, courtesans played an active role in elite society. Extensive literary education was relatively rare among women, and even those fortunate enough to receive it almost never had the chance to display their gifts in public. Courtesans, by contrast, were celebrated for their talents in literature, painting, and music, and they participated in scholarly gatherings. Ma Shouzhen was one of the most famous of these; she mixed freely with the literary luminaries of Suzhou and Nanjing and carried on a long-term romance with the poet Wang Zhideng. Because of her fame, Ma’s paintings were much copied; this is likely one such homage, made in the generation or two after her death.

Artist

Ma Shouzhen

Date

dated 1572

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Edward Elliott Family Collection, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1982