Ma Shouzhen (; c. 1548–1604), also known by her

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Ma Xianglan (, meaning "Orchid of the

Xiang River The Xiang River is the chief river of the Dongting Lake, Lake Dongting Drainage basin, drainage system of the middle Yangtze, the largest river in Hunan, Hunan Province, China. It is the 2nd largest tributary (after Min River (Sichuan), Min River ...

") and pen name Yuejiao ("Lunar Beauty"), was a Chinese courtesan and artist born in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

during the late

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

(1550–1644). She was a renowned painter, poet, and composer. She received the name Xianglan because her most favored paintings were of orchids.

Biography

Ma was born in Nanjing, and she lived in the entertainment district along the

Qinhuai River The Qinhuai River () is a tributary of the Yangtze with a total length of 110 km. It flows through central Nanjing and is called "Nanjing's mother river". It is the "life blood" of the city. The Qinhuai River is divided into inner and outer river ...

. As a matriarch in courtesan society, she encouraged the education and training of courtesans in the arts. In order to maintain her reputation as an elite courtesan, she only allowed educated men or young student lords within her residence. During the late Ming dynasty, elite courtesans challenged the gender stereotypes of

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

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, courtesans were educated in painting, poetry, and music. In addition, they owned property and participated in the public scene. At the age of 15, Ma Shouzhen formally assumed the position of courtesan. Before this, she may have received education from a proprietor who owned her during her childhood. As courtesan matriarch, she befriended many poets and intellects such as Peng Nian (1505–1566), Zhou Tianqiu (1514–1595),

Xu Wei Xu Wei (, 1521–1593), other department Qingteng Shanren (), was a Chinese painter, playwright, poet, and tea master during the Ming dynasty. A noted painter, poet, writer and dramatist famed for his artistic expressiveness.Cihai: Page 802. ...

(1521–1593), Xue Mingyi (late 16th century), and Wang Zhideng (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 literati as her guests.

Romance with Wang Zhideng

Ma Shouzhen and Wang Zhideng shared a loving relationship with one another, and there are instances in which the two openly expressed their affection for each other. They wrote letters to each other, collaborated in several paintings and poem. One of their famous collaborations was ''Narcissus and Rock'', which consists of two images and a poem. When Ma published her poems in 1591, Wang included a preface for them. On one occasion, Ma took her house-boat to see Wang in Suzhou and celebrated his 70th birthday with a party of musicians. Not long after this, Ma fell ill and died peacefully in her residence in Nanjing. Wang wrote several eulogies of Ma after her death.

Paintings and Poetry

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. Along with painting, Ma was skilled in writing poetry and composing dramas, however, some of her dramas have been lost over time. 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.

List of Works

* ''Orchid and Bamboo'', (fan) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection * ''Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock'', (fan) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection * ''Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock'', (hand-scroll) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection * ''Orchid and Rock'', (hanging scroll) ink on paper, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Online Collection

Gallery

File:明傳馬守真蘭石圖軸-Orchid and Rock MET DT8794.jpg, Ma Shouzhen, ''Orchid and Rock'', 1572, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Ma Shouzhen - Orchid - 1989.9.1 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg, Ma Shouzhen, ''Orchid'', 1604, Yale University Art Gallery

References

External links

Palace Museum Collection

Art Net

Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Shouzhen 1540s births 1644 deaths Year of birth uncertain Chinese women painters Ming dynasty painters 16th-century Chinese women 16th-century Chinese people 16th-century Chinese women artists 17th-century Chinese people 16th-century Chinese painters 16th-century Chinese poets Chinese composers Eight Beauties of Qinhuai 16th-century Chinese women singers Women theatre managers and producers