Cai Han

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Cai Han
蔡含
Born1647
Wu County, Jiangsu, Qing China
Died1686 (aged 38–39)
Qing China
NationalityChinese
Notable work
Auspicious noon (午瑞图)
StyleChinese landscape paintings
Spouse(s)Mao Bijiang

Cai Han (Chinese: 蔡含; 1647–1686), was a Chinese landscape painter. She was the concubine of the painter and, with his other concubine , she was commissioned by him with the task of producing paintings as gifts to his guests; they became known as "The Two Painters of the Mao Family".

Names[]

White pheasants and flowers painted by Cai Han and Jin Xiaozhu and inscription by Mao Xiang.

Cai Han's courtesy name on attaining adulthood was Nüluo (Chinese: 女蘿). She also went by her art name of Yuanyu (Chinese: 園玉).[1]

Life[]

Cai was the daughter of a member of staff in the house of Mao Xiang in Rugao. Sometime during the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor, an artist from Suzhou called Wu Ruixian (Chinese: 吳蕊仙) sought refuge with Mao. Wu taught Cai to paint and write poetry.[2] Around 1661, Cai became one of Mao's concubines, along with Jin Yue (Chinese: 金鈅). The two women collaborated on many compositions, earning renown as 'the two artists of the Mao family' (Chinese: 冒氏兩畫史).[2]

Art[]

Cai Han was particularly well-known for her landscape paintings.[1] The Guochao Hua Zheng Xulü (Chinese: 国朝画徵续录) described Cai as, 'particularly good at painting landscapes, flowers, animals, and birds,' and, 'adept at imitations.'[3] She painted many pieces together with her fellow concubine Jin Yue 金鈅, including Auspicious noon, now held in the Nanjing Museum.[1] In her depictions of people, Xie Li identifies the influence of Tang Yin on Cai's technique.[1] In 2001, one of Cai's works painted in 1680, titled Shuihui yuan tu (Chinese: 水繪園圖), appeared at an auction house in Shanghai, where it was sold for 40,000 RMB[4] to an unknown buyer.[2]

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c d Xie (1988), p. 43.
  2. ^ a b c "书画系列：刘聪泉《丹青写意水绘园》" [Painting and calligraphy series: Liu Congquan's "Garden of freehand and watercolour painting"]. Nantong Shuhua Wang (in Chinese). 20 January 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  3. ^ Guochao Hua Zheng Xulü (1636–1912), section Ruixiu cai he jin xiaozhu: 兼善山水花草禽城長於臨摹
  4. ^ Approximately 6100 USD, or 5140 EUR, at the time.

Works cited[]

  • Lily Xiao Hong Lee; Clara Lau; A.D. Stefanowska (17 July 2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 1: The Qing Period, 1644-1911. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-47587-3.
  • Xie 谢, Li 荔 (1988). "蔡含的山水图赏析" [Appreciation of Cai Han's landscape pictures]. Sichuan Wenwu (in Chinese) (6).
  • Zhang 張, Geng 庚, ed. (1636–1912). 国朝画徵续录 [A replenished record of evidence for the nation's art] (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 September 2017.

External links[]

  • Media related to Cai Han at Wikimedia Commons
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