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" A Day in the life of an Imperial Concubine ", oil and 24 kt gold leaf on panel, 16 x 20 inches, framed, $1,250

Concubines resembled wives (Chinese: 妻; pinyin: qī) in that they were recognized sexual partners of a male family member and were expected to bear children from him. Unofficial concubines (Chinese: 婢妾; pinyin: bì qiè) are of lower status, and children of her are considered illegitimate.

The Chinese Ming Dynasty lasted for 276 years (1368 – 1644 AD), and has been described as “one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history.” This dynasty became a global superpower, undertaking major sea expeditions before Christopher Columbus, and producing books before the invention of the printing press in Britain. While this dynasty was praised for its stability and innovation there was a darker more gruesome underbelly.

The cruelty of the Ming emperors knew no bounds, and was specifically targeted towards the imperial concubines. Some Ming emperors had upwards of 9,000 concubines, many of whom had been kidnapped from their homes and were forbidden to leave their gilded prison except when they were called to the emperor’s bed. Since the barbaric practice of foot-binding was prominent at this time, the hobbled women could not run away or even walk into the emperor’s bed chambers, but instead had to be carried naked to the expectant man.
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A day in the life of an Imperial Concubine Painting

Thu Nguyen

United States

Painting, Oil on Wood

Size: 16 W x 20 H x 1 D in

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Originally listed for $2,670
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231 Views
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About The Artwork

" A Day in the life of an Imperial Concubine ", oil and 24 kt gold leaf on panel, 16 x 20 inches, framed, $1,250 Concubines resembled wives (Chinese: 妻; pinyin: qī) in that they were recognized sexual partners of a male family member and were expected to bear children from him. Unofficial concubines (Chinese: 婢妾; pinyin: bì qiè) are of lower status, and children of her are considered illegitimate. The Chinese Ming Dynasty lasted for 276 years (1368 – 1644 AD), and has been described as “one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history.” This dynasty became a global superpower, undertaking major sea expeditions before Christopher Columbus, and producing books before the invention of the printing press in Britain. While this dynasty was praised for its stability and innovation there was a darker more gruesome underbelly. The cruelty of the Ming emperors knew no bounds, and was specifically targeted towards the imperial concubines. Some Ming emperors had upwards of 9,000 concubines, many of whom had been kidnapped from their homes and were forbidden to leave their gilded prison except when they were called to the emperor’s bed. Since the barbaric practice of foot-binding was prominent at this time, the hobbled women could not run away or even walk into the emperor’s bed chambers, but instead had to be carried naked to the expectant man.

Details & Dimensions

Painting:Oil on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:16 W x 20 H x 1 D in

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Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.

Biography: I was born in Saigon, Vietnam. Being very shy, I spent much of my childhood hiding away upstairs painting, instead of playing with other children. My first brush with success was a Best of Show prize at the 1974 children's exhibition in Saigon sponsored by UNICEF. In 1975 Saigon fell and in the resulting confusion I was separated from my parents. I ended up in a refuge camp near Hong Kong for a year prior to immigrating to the United States as an orphan. After one very snowy and cold winter in Pennsylvania, I went to Los Angeles to stay with some relatives. During my high school years, I earned extra money doing fashion modeling work in the garment district and upon graduation started on the pre-med program in college. During this time I fell in love with art again and changed my major to art. While in college I had an acting stint in Hollywood on the side (I got a part in Oliver Stone's 'Heaven and Earth' and followed with a lead role in Elizabeth Hong Yang's 'Touch Within' in China). After getting my art degree, I have since settled down to pursue my art career in Los Angeles, later Seattle and finally Hawaii with the big excitement being adopting my first daughter from China and my second daughter from Vietnam.

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