An album of 10 paintings of flowers by Chen Shu presented by Emperor Puyi (1906-67), the last Emperor of China, to his tutor Sir Reginald Johnston (1874-1938), who was also the first Professor of Chinese at the School of Oriental Studies. The album bears an inscription by the Emperor in his own hand to Johnston on the verso of the front cover and his own seal on the peony painting. The manuscript, in concertina style, is between two wooden frames.
Chen Shu huahui [Album of flower paintings]
This material is held atSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Archives, University of London
- Reference
- GB 102 MS 62612
- Dates of Creation
- 17th century
- Name of Creator
- Language of Material
- Chinese
- Physical Description
- 1 album
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
The artist, Chen Shu (1612-82), was a literati painter (literati painting combines painting, poetry, and calligraphy and aims to reach an intellectual audience) from Jiangsu province near Shanghai who settled in Nanjing in his later years. She produced paintings depicting mainly birds flowers and insects, but occasionally produced landscape paintings in ink.
Access Information
Open
Acquisition Information
R. F. Johnston bequest
Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements
H25.5 x W36.0cm
Conditions Governing Use
For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance