Concubines and Courtesans - Women in Chinese Erotic Art

Concubines and Courtesans offers the first richly-documented survey of Chinese erotic art and a broad examination of the role played by women within it. The collection presented here includes a variety of objects and paintings, most of which were produced between the late Ming dynasty and the flourishing of Shanghai in the early twentieth century. This period, spanning a good 300 years, which was hallmarked by sweeping eco-nomic, political, social and cultural changes, saw the evolution of characteristic forms of erotic art which gradually incorporated Western stylistic influences. Photographs of brothels and their inhabitants help the reader to form a better picture of Chinese erotic culture and also allow comparison with the world evoked in the works of art.