THE LEGENDARY WARRIOR LIN SINIANG', QING DYNASTY
China, 1644-1912. Ink and watercolors on silk. Finely painted with the beautiful Lin Siniang examining the sharpness of her sword, holding it up with one hand and testing the blade with the index finger of her other hand. She is wearing loose-fitting robes and finely decorated aprons, as well as a chime necklace and floral headdress, with a second sword tied to her back.

Inscriptions: Lower left, 'Bingfu Qiu Ying'. One seal, 'Shizhou'.

Provenance: US market, by repute from a private collector in Texas, USA.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, some stains, shallow surface scratches, minor soiling, few small creases. Laid down on board and framed.

Dimensions: Image size 66.5 x 31.5 cm, Size incl. frame 94 x 45.5 cm

The story of Lin Siniang is a legend of the early Qing dynasty. Lin was taught by her father how to yield a sword from a young age. By the age of six, she wielded the weapon with deadly precision. To support herself when her family died, she had to turn to prostitution and subsequently caught the attention of Zhu Changshu, a feudal lord of the Qingzhou state. The king was so impressed by her skills that she was asked to teach all his concubines. Eventually, these women became a full-fledged army led by Lin Siniang. When Changshu was captured by rebel forces, it was Lin and her army that rescued him. Sadly, they died in battle but were given heroes' burials. In the 78th chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou Meng), the classic Chinese novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century, Jia Zheng recounts this inspirational legend to Jia Baoyu, Jia Huan, and Jia Lan, so that each would write a poem on the subject.


清代《姽嫿將軍林四娘》鏡心
中國，1644-1912年。絹本水墨設色。年輕貌美的姽嫿將軍林四娘正端詳劍鋒，一手舉起，另一隻手食指試劍；她身著寬鬆的戰袍，裝飾精美，佩戴著一條項鍊和花卉頭飾，背上繫著第二把劍。

款識：賓父仇英
鈴印：十洲

來源：英國古玩市場，據説來自美國德克薩斯私人收藏
品相：舊時磨損，一些汙漬，表面淺劃痕，少量小摺痕，狀況良好。