Miao Jiahui
1841 -1918
Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Miao Jiahui (缪嘉蕙, 1841–1918) — A woman painter of the Qing dynasty.


Born in 1841 in Kunming to a scholarly family, she studied painting and calligraphy from childhood. By her twenties she had already made a name for herself in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. After her husband's early death, she supported herself and her young son by selling her paintings.


Because of her exceptional skill, she was summoned to serve Empress Dowager Cixi, who granted her an honorary third rank (roughly equivalent to a vice-ministerial or provincial-level post in modern terms) and studied painting under her. The flower paintings and fan scrolls Cixi bestowed on high officials were mostly from her hand.


Her brushwork was fresh and clean, her colors refined and elegant; she was especially strong in gongbi (fine-line) bird-and-flower painting.


Paintings by Miao Jiahui
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