Abstract

This thesis provides a synthetic examination of The Classic of Filial Piety, a painted handscroll attributed to Qiu Ying 仇英 (ca. 1494-1552). Using a range of research methods, including formal analysis, iconography, connoisseurship, patronage, social and cultural context, and historical materiality, the study reevaluates the painting’s artistic and physical properties, encompassing composition and drawing, pigment and mounting, inscriptions and seals. Textual references and comparative examples are utilized to infer the work’s dating, authorship, and historical significance. The thesis argues that The Classic of Filial Piety is not an original work of Qiu Ying, but rather a product of the late Ming Jiangnan region, characterized by economic growth, urbanization, increased literacy, and a flourishing printing industry. These socio-economic transformations not only brought changes to the social order and Confucian moral ethics but also impacted various cultural forms, including the moral implications conveyed in The Classic of Filial Piety. The presentation of text and image in the handscroll imbues it with new social uses and cultural meanings.

Keywords: Qiu Ying, Wen Zhengming, Xiaojing tu, Suzhou pian, didactic paintings.