Description
This print belongs to a series of five depicting the cardinal virtues of Confucianism. In this image, a courtesan demonstrates benevolence by shaving her attendant’s neck. The other virtues are righteousness, decorum, knowledge, and fidelity. A poem at the top reads as follows: "If you would dwell on the path of the heart, / that is kind to others, / then must you not also be someone, / who suppresses even her own name?"
Provenance
Mrs. Madeleine Henderson Hamill [1876–1948], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?–1949); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1949–)
Accession Number
1949.124
Medium
color woodblock print
Dimensions
Sheet: 27.6 x 20.4 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
Classification
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Madeleine Hamill in memory of Lawrence Hamill
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