Qiu Zhu

CHINA, Jiangsu, Taicang; Ming dynasty

Qiu Zhu, also known as Duling Neishi, was one of the few female painters known in Buddhist art history. The daughter of Qiu Ying, who is one of the Four Masters of the Ming dynasty, had a painting style strongly resembled that of her father’s. She was skilled in painting figures, rendering smooth and flowing cloth folds with full and delicate strokes.
Qiu once copied Li Gonglin’s painting, Hundred Deities Gathering. Her resulting depiction was of a fine and elegant air, and included an inscription reading, “Second copy by Qiu Zhu.” She was particularly proficient in painting the image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, expressing a compassionate and dignified countenance and graceful appearance.
Her painting, Avalokitesvara in a White Robe, is kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; another work, Noble Ladies Playing Musical Instruments, is kept at the Palace Museum in Bejing.