Artists › Painters and Calligraphers
Guan Daosheng
Yuan painter and calligrapher, wife of Zhao Mengfu, known for ink bamboo, whose calligraphy Emperor Renzong had mounted alongside that of her husband and son
A desk holds an unrolled sheet bearing three bold black ink strokes, with a rack of many brushes above it, a stone ink slab and ink stick, a porcelain bowl, a red lacquer box, a dish of red seal paste and a paperweight; a small seated figure shows through a round window onto bamboo.
Also known as Courtesy: ZhongJi · Lady Guan
Guan Daosheng, courtesy name Zhongji, came from Wuxing (Huzhou), though some accounts say Huating, and married Zhao Mengfu, moving with him between Dadu and the south. In 1317, when her husband was chief of the Hanlin Academy, she was given the title Lady of the State of Wei. She painted ink bamboo, as well as plum and orchid, and wrote a good running and regular hand; works under her name are held in the Palace Museums of Beijing and Taipei, and a manual on ink bamboo is credited to her, though its authenticity is disputed. According to the epitaph Zhao Mengfu wrote for her, Emperor Renzong had her copy the Thousand Character Classic and mounted it in one scroll with writing by Zhao and their son Zhao Yong, so that later ages would know one family in which husband, wife and son all wrote well. Falling ill in 1319, she set out south with Zhao and died aboard their boat at Linqing in the fifth month.
Life and times
Dates 1262 CE–1319 CE