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277:. Clients came from as far as Thailand to purchase her work. As a painter, Ma Shouzhen is well known for landscapes, orchids, and bamboo imagery combined with calligraphy. Her brush work is delicate, and the images have either colors lightly applied or monochromatic ink. Her preferred painting formats include fan, hand-scrolls, and hanging scrolls. Ma was known for using the double outline technique, in which the edges of her leaves and blossoms are outlined with thin lines. This approach can be traced to
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the Qing
Dynasty. The "Shiqu Baoji Chubian(石渠宝笈初编)" contains a fake copy of Ma Shouzhen's "Painted Orchid Scroll(画兰卷)". But the Qing court also collected authentic paintings by Ma Shouzhen. The "Flower Scroll(花卉卷)" in the Wuxi Museum collection is an old collection of the Qing Dynasty court and is also recorded in the "Shiqu Baoji". Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty also viewed Ma Shouzhen's paintings and stamped the oval seal of "the treasures previewed by Emperor Qianlong(乾隆御览之宝)" on her paintings.
256:. Wang recollected that this was in celebration for his 70th birthday (though scholar Zhao Mi notes this as unlikely due to the commercial requirements of a theatrical tour). Not long after this, Ma fell ill. Though her letters to Wang begging him to visit her survive, it is unknown if he did so. Wang wrote twelve eulogies of Ma after her death as well as a biography,
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composing poems to the moon, so the bridge was called the Moon
Playing Bridge. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, people later wrote poems, and Changban Bridge was the original Moon Playing Bridge. In modern times,the Confucius Temple in Nanjing has been renovated and some pavilions from the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been restored. During the
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Along with painting, Ma was skilled in writing poetry and composing dramas, however, some of her dramas have been lost over time. Ma was involved in the theater as a performer, troupe owner, and playwright. She was the only female troupe owner in late Ming theatre. She is the only recorded courtesan
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Wang wrote an account of their meeting. He recounted that they met when Ma was sued by a young literatus for bad treatment. The court clerk went to arrest her as Wang was visiting, and made a deal for her freedom for his calligraphy. Ma fell in love and proposed to Wang, but he refused, reporting he
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The "Moon
Playing Bridge" in the Ming Dynasty was located in the south of Qinhuai River in Confucius Temple. Next to the bridge was Ma Shouzhen's residence. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, scholars gathered at the bridge to play the sheng and xiao, recalling the moon watching at Niuzhu and
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During the Qing
Dynasty, famous actors in the Liyuan of the Capital adapted the story of Ma Shouzhen's painting of orchids into a drama and presented the paintings in the drama to guests. Therefore, a large number of forgeries appeared in the name of Ma Shouzhen, and they even entered the court of
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had been ghostwritten. The play is about love and betrayal in three lives. In the first, Wang Kui betrays courtesan
Guiying, who had supported his study, by marrying another after. In the second life, the courtesan Su Qing (Guiying) abandons student Feng Kui (Wang Kui). In their third life, they
207:(1535–1612). The poets would write poems inspired by her or for her, describing Ma as beautiful with a warm and welcoming personality. During their visits, Ma Shouzhen joined them in making paintings, poems, and plays. She also hosted parties on her multi-leveled house-boat with the
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values. In contrast to the women of the gentry, who were often discouraged from cultivating talent lest it undermine their virtue as wives and mothers, Yijis were educated in painting, poetry, and music. In addition, they owned property and participated in the public scene.
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Ailianju Art Talk: Two
Heroines in the Late Ming Dynasty Painting World - Ma Shouzhen and Xue Susu(爱莲居艺谭 晚明画坛双女侠——马守真与薛素素); Publish:Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Art(书画艺术) Journal 2009 Issue 05; Author: Xiao Ping(萧平); Page Number: 57-58
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which ridiculed a sexually active older couple. The play was quickly banned due to being immoral, but the book gained popularity. However, some modern scholars believe that Ma and Wang were not actually the inspiration for the play.
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Ma
Shouzhen and Wang Zhideng were sexual and business partners. They shared a loving relationship with one another, and there are instances in which the two openly expressed their affection for each other.
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285:. The only paintings by Ma Shouzhen that survive today are her ink landscapes, orchids, and bamboo. Since she was a social person, many of her paintings may have been given away at parties.
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Ma died peacefully in her residence in
Nanjing in 1604. As a courtesan who had desired to enter a gentry family, Ma was often ridiculed, continuing after her death.
316:(1127-1279), a play about a student betraying his courtesan lover. As courtesan theatre was infrequently highlighted in Ming theatre, some male dramatists believed
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Bénézit, Emmanuel; Rawlings, Kandice; Kember, Pamela; Johnson, Richard, eds. (2012). "Ma
Shouzhen or Ma Shou-chen ; style names: Xianglan , Yuejiao".
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150:. Her first known painting is also from this year. Before this, she may have received education from a proprietor who owned her during her childhood.
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138:(1550–1644). She was a renowned painter, poet, and composer. She received the name Xianglan because her most favored paintings were of orchids.
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Ma was born in
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theater. This work included presenting onstage, tutoring performers, and touring with her troupe, which was known for northern plays.
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Laing, Ellen Johnston (1998). "Ma Shouzhen". In Lee, Lily Xiao Hong; Stefanowska, A. D.; Wiles, Sue; Ho, Clara Wing-chung (eds.).
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society, she encouraged the education and training of Yijis in the arts. In order to maintain her reputation as an elite
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674:"Ma Xianglan and Wang Zhideng Onstage and Offstage: Rethinking the Romance of a Courtesan Theatre in Ming-Qing China"
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Ma and Wang wrote letters to each other, and Ma often sent gifts to Wang Zhideng and to his wife.
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Ma and Wang collaborated in several paintings and poem. One of their famous collaborations was
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Ma published her first collection of poetry in 1591, with an introduction by Wang Zhideng.
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Ma Shouzhen (1548–1604): Gender, Space and Painting in the Late Ming Pleasure Quarter".
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960:"Hangrol met bamboe en orchideeën op een rots, Ma Shouzhen, ca. 1548 - ca. 1604"
766:"Attributed to Ma Shouzhen | Orchid and rock | China | Ming dynasty (1368–1644)"
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During the late Ming dynasty, elite Yijis challenged the gender stereotypes of
997:. Indianapolis and New York: Indianapolis Museum of Art and Rizzoli. pp.
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Ma Shouzhen fashioned herself as a talented painter in the Wen circle and
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Ma's life was recorded by Wang Zhideng. Within fifty years of her death,
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Ma and Wang's relationship may have been the basis for the 1597 opera
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As Yiji matriarch, she befriended many poets and intellects such as
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Ma also served as a patron of the arts. She funded Liang Chenyu's
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Tseng, Yuho (1993). "Women Painters of the Ming Dynasty".
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Views from Jade Terrace: Chinese Women Artists 1300-1912
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Because of her fame, Ma's paintings were often copied.
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documented Wang's version of Ma's life in his poetry.
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153:Ma lived in the entertainment district along the
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180:Ma's first patron, Pen Niang, was a student of
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408:, ink on paper, in the Rijksmuseum Collection
304:Ma also was the author of at least one play,
715:"Past Auction: Ma Shouzhen and Wang Zhideng"
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252:On one occasion, Ma took her house-boat to
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910:. The Palace Museum. Archived from
880:. The Palace Museum. Archived from
850:. The Palace Museum. Archived from
801:"Talking about Mid-Autumn Festival"
742:Benezit dictionary of Asian artists
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446:, 1604, Yale University Art Gallery
111:; c. 1548–1604), also known by her
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721:. Artnet Worldwide Corporation
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260:(Biography of Courtesan Ma).
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908:The Palace Museum Collection
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823:planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov
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203:(late 16th century), and
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394:Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock
388:Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock
318:The Story of three Lives
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1365:Chinese women painters
1171:Prostitution in Tibet
1166:Prostitution in Macau
1147:Prostitution in China
807:on 16 September 2024.
690:10.1353/atj.2017.0007
678:Asian Theatre Journal
310:Story of Three Lives
161:. As a matriarch in
1223:Empress Dowager Bian
506:Gender & History
83:Ma Xianglan, Yuejiao
367:Mid-Autumn Festival
1445:Ming dynasty Gējìs
854:on 6 December 2015
244:(White Silk Skirt)
235:Narcissus and Rock
1395:Chinese composers
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819:"Planetary Names"
751:978-0-19-992302-1
672:Zhao, Mi (2017).
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382:Orchid and Bamboo
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1273:Ma Shouzhen
1258:Li Xiangjun
1180:Prostitutes
1080:Li Xiangjun
1075:Bian Yujing
1070:Ma Xianglan
964:Rijksmuseum
944:27 February
918:27 February
888:27 February
858:27 February
725:25 February
351:Qian Qianyi
339:Hongxian nü
306:Sansheng ji
128:Xiang River
116:Ma Xianglan
101:Ma Shouzhen
42:Ma Shouzhen
27:family name
1349:Categories
1278:Sai Jinhua
1211:Courtesans
1202:Lin Hei'er
1192:Ching Shih
1100:Kou Baimen
966:(in Dutch)
468:References
258:Maji zhuan
242:Bailianqun
201:Xue Mingyi
1303:Yu Xuanji
1268:Liu Rushi
1253:Li Shishi
1218:Bai Mudan
1095:Gu Hengbo
1085:Liu Rushi
698:1527-2109
618:0004-3648
526:141846753
333:Patronage
299:ming qing
275:Wu School
189:Peng Nian
174:Confucian
142:Biography
1293:Xue Susu
1288:Wang Wei
970:10 April
828:11 April
775:11 April
269:Painting
209:literati
21:In this
1298:Xue Tao
1154:Regions
1018:Art Net
626:3250517
413:Gallery
292:Theater
132:Nanjing
120:Chinese
105:Chinese
66:, China
64:Nanjing
60:c. 1548
1248:Hongfu
1243:Gu Mei
1197:Du Zhu
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325:Poetry
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999:72-81
790:page;
622:JSTOR
522:S2CID
1334:Yiji
972:2024
946:2016
920:2016
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860:2016
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777:2024
746:ISBN
727:2016
694:ISSN
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502:Yiji
167:Yiji
163:Yiji
148:Yiji
92:Yiji
75:1604
72:Died
57:Born
686:doi
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124:馬湘蘭
109:馬守真
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