Small portrait of Luzhu
Lüzhu was a beautiful and talented concubine of the imperial official Shi Chong, who favored her above all others. When a powerful ally of the emperor sought to financially ruin Shi Chong and steal her away, Lüzhu committed suicide to thwart the plot. This dramatic self-sacrifice made her a symbol of loyalty—not just of a woman to her husband, but of any person to a just cause—and she was celebrated in art and literature. The famous figure painter Gai Qi depicted Lüzhu as a figure of grace, but he also captured the weight of her tragic decision through the subtle shading beneath her eyes. The artist’s inscription is at top right; the others are by collectors throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Artwork Details
- 清 改琦 綠珠小像圖 軸
- Title: Small portrait of Luzhu
- Artist: Gai Qi (Chinese, 1773–1828)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 1823
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 50 1/2 × 17 1/4 in. (128.3 × 43.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 94 1/8 × 24 7/16 in. (239 × 62 cm)
Overall with knobs: 94 1/8 × 28 1/8 in. (239 × 71.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Jane DeBevoise and the Calello Family, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.549.5
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Gai Qi (Chinese, 1773–1828)
1821
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Zhu Angzhi (Chinese, 1764–after 1841)
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