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Yutai huashi 玉臺畫史

May 16, 2023 © Ulrich Theobald

Yutai huashi 玉臺畫史 "History of painters from the Jade Terrace" is a book on female painters written by Ms Tang Shuyu 湯潄玉 (1795-1855), courtesy name Deyuan 德媛, from Qiantang 钱塘 near Hangzhou.

The book has a length of 5 juan, with an appendix (Bielu 別錄) of 1 fascicle. It imitates Li E's 厲鶚 (1692-1752) Yutai shushi 玉臺書史 and presents the biographies and discussions of the artworks of more than 201 (plus 15 in the appendix) female painters from ancient times to the early Qing period 清 (1644-1911). The text is divided into four parts according to the social status of the artists, namely palace women (gongye 宮掖), ladies of note (mingyuan 名媛), ladies-in-waiting (jishi 姬侍), and famous courtesans (mingji 名妓). For each information, the author indicated her source. The book was first printed in 1831. A lithographic print was later produced by the Saoye Shanfang 掃葉山房 in Shanghai. The text is included in the series Shuoku 說庫, Yishu congshu 藝術叢書, Meishu congshu 美術叢書 and Cuilangganguan congshu 翠瑯玕館叢書.

Sources:
Fu Xianglong 傅湘龍 (2019). "Tang Shuyi Yutai huashi xiangguan wenxian wenti jikao 湯漱玉《玉臺畫史》相關文獻問題輯考", Gugong Bowuyuan yuankan 故宮博物院院刊, 2019 (10): 80-90+111.
Li Yao 李垚, Dong Shuangye 董雙葉 (2009). "Zhonggui di yi bu zhuanti jizai nüxing huajia zhi shishu: Yutai huashi 中國第一部專題記載女性畫家之史書——《玉臺畫史》", Heilongjiang shizhi 黑龍江史志, 2009 (8): 73-74+80.
Tao Mingjun 陶明君, ed. (1993). Zhongguo hualun cidian 中國畫論辭典 (Changsha: Hunan chubanshe), 315.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 181.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1994). Zhonghua gu wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, Vol. Wenxue 文學卷 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 129.