Ingenious Craftsmanship with Needle and Thread

Madame Lu Shuxian at home, photo taken in 1962.

Inheritance of Art and Love, photo taken in 2004.

Madame Lu Junjian, daughter of Lu Shuxian, at home, photo taken in 2010.

Madame Lu Shuxian at home, photo taken in 2012. Though at the age of 89, Master Lu had not stopped embroidering.

The original painting scroll of “Magu, the Longevity Goddess, Extending Her Birthday Wishes”

Autumn Plants and Insects
Painter: Li Shan (1686-1762 AD), Qing dynasty
This piece was crafted by the artist when she was 84 years old based on the painting and calligraphy by Li Shan (1686-1762 AD), one of the well-known painters of the “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”. The painting features an inscribed poem “Twitter of an insect sounding like looms rose when the night befell, before long the same sound came from somewhere else. I tried to find it in the courtyard the following morning but failed, the twitter was heard again when the night returned”.

Orchid
Painter: Li Fangying (1695-1755 AD), Qing dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2008
This embroidery piece is based on the painting of Li Fangying (1695-1755 AD), one of the eight painters known as the “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”. In traditional Chinese culture, orchid has been taken as a cultural symbol by writers and painters to express their own inner world. The embroiderer mainly employed long and short stitches (changduan zhen, 长短针) to illustrate the slim and graceful orchid leaves.

China Roses Blooming in Four Seasons
Painter: Li Shan (1686-1762 AD), Qing dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2008-2010 (85-87 years old)

Newly-blooming Wisteria with Autumn Dew
Painter: Li Shan (1686-1762 AD), Qing dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2008-2010 (85-87 years old)

Long March-Qilv (poems with eight line and seven characters in each line)
Inspiration Source: Chairman Mao’s poem
Time of Embroidering: 2007 (84 years old)

Orchid and Bamboo
Painter: Wen Zhengming (1470-1559 AD), Ming Dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2006 (83 years old)
This painting illustrates both the unyielding bamboo with vitality and the elegant, charming orchids. The inscription on the embroidery was crafted by Lu Shuxian, and the bamboo and orchids were done by the joint hands of Master Lu and her daughter Lu Junjian. Thanks to their relationship between mother and daughter, and also tutor and apprentice, the two artists’ perfect cooperation brings out the best of each other.

Autumn Cicada on Maple Leaves
Painter: Qi Baishi (1864-1957 AD)
Time of Embroidering: 2005 (82 years old)
This piece is based on the painting by the famous modern Chinese painter Qi Baishi (1864-1957 AD). Though with a common subject, the painting creates a special sense of pleasure. Thanks to the embroiderer’s brilliant combination of various techniques such as long and short stitches (tao zhen, 套针), thickening stitches (shi zhen, 施针), random stitches (luan zhen, 乱针), full-and-broken-line stitches (xushi zhen, 虚实针), along with the thoughtful selection of colored silk threads, the embroidery piece depicts maple leaves with eye-catching colors and cicadas with agility.

Xie Lingyun Facing Wind
Painter: Fan Zeng
Time of Embroidering: 1999 (76 years old)
This embroidery piece is based on the painting of the heavyweight modern Chinese painter which portrays the detached bearing of the well-known poet Xie Lingyun (385-433 AD) while the figure standing in wind with a raised head. The painting features an empty background, a simple composition, and free-flowing brushwork, representing a perfect illustration of both the physical look and the temperament of the figure. With flexible and elegant needlework, the embroidery piece attaches great importance to the facial expression, beard and garment of the figure.

Intoxicated Poet with a Wine Pot
Painter: Fan Zeng
Time of Embroidering: 2004 (81 years old)
As one of few figure embroideries crafted at the later years of Lu Shuxian, this piece was based on an improvised artwork by the well-known modern Chinese painter Fan Zeng, which illustrates an intoxicated poet walking leisurely carrying a stick with a gourd-shaped wine pot tied to one of its end. Thanks to the artist’s masterful application of various techniques including long and short stitches (tao zhen, 套针), seeding stitches (dian zhen, 点针), inserted stitches (qian zhen, 嵌针), etc., the figure was portrayed to every detail.

Fish at Ease
Painter: Mo Yidian
Time of Embroidering: 2003 (80 years old)

Cat
Painter: Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705 AD), Ming dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2009 (86 years old)
Based on the painting of the famous Ming-and-Qing painter Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705 AD), a painter with strong personality who excelled especially in flower and bird painting, and tended to endow objects with his own emotions, the embroiderer adopted hairy stitches (shimao, 施毛针) and lined stitches (pai zhen, 排针) to imitate the rendering of ink on rice paper, which was employed by the painter to depict the texture of fur and hair, leading to the illustration of a lovely cat with charming naivety.

Fish
Painter: Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705 AD), Ming dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2010 (87 years old)
This embroidery piece is based on the painting by the famous Ming-and-Qing painter Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705). The highlight of the painting lies in its “less”, or “scarcity” in the painter’s words, only one fish in the image with nothing in the background, which unexpectedly leaves the viewers with endless imagination.
The embroidery piece, by use of various types of stitches, depicts an agile swimming fish at ease, exuding a sense of tranquility and enjoyment.

Magnolia
Painter: Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705 AD), Ming dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2006 (83 years old)
This embroidery piece is based on an elegant and refreshing painting featuring dense and strong ink brushwork by the well-known painter Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705). By use of the various types of stitches such as long and short stitches (changduan zhen, 长短针), full-and-broken-line stitches (xushi zhen, 虚实针) and diagonal stitches (xie zhen, 斜针), as well as correct selection of colors, the artisan managed to reproduce the strong and dense brushwork on the embroidery, vividly illustrating the beautiful flowers and branches with vitality.

Flower in Vase
Painter: Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705 AD), Ming dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2008(85 years old)
This piece of needlework is based on the well-known painter Zhu Da (1626-ca. 1705)’s painting which illustrates an orchid place in a vase, symbolizing “the one that outshines the others”, exuding a wonderful artistic conception. By use of the skillful application of long and short stitches (tao zhen, 套针), broken-line stitches (xu zhen, 虚针) and neat stitches (qi zhen, 齐针), the artisan outlined the vase and the crack patterns on it with simple needlework, and depicted the floral patterns with texture-stroke-like techniques, fully transferring the artistic charm of the painting onto the embroidery.

Willow and Butterflies
Painter: Zhang Daqian (1899-1983 AD)
Time of Embroidering: 2007(84years old)
This embroidery piece is based on an elegant and refreshing painting by the well-known modern Chinese painter Zhang Daqian (1899-1983 AD) which illustrates a typical spring scene with willow branches waving and butterflies dancing in spring breeze. Thanks to the embroiderer’s correct choice of colors and skillful application of techniques such as split stitches (jie zhen, 接针), linked-pearl-making stitches (lianzhu zhen, 连珠针), broken-line-making stitches (xu zhen, 虚针), neat stitches (qi zhen, 齐针), etc., this piece of needlework portrays a scene that combines reality and fantasy in which the subtle relationship between the moving and the still, the slightly curly willow leaves and the dancing butterflies are all messengers of the spring.

Crab
Painter: Xu Wei (1521-1593 AD), Ming dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2005
This embroidery piece is based on a partial section of the painting Crab by the well-known Ming-dynasty painter Xu Wei (1521-1593 AD), giving the crab the entire image. Having mixed glue in the ink to avoid permeation, the painter employed various techniques, thus creating a vivid crab with just a few strokes.

Great Wisdom Seems Slow-witted
Painter: Li Shan (1686-1762 AD), Qing dynasty
Time of Embroidering: 2013
This piece of needlework is based on a finger painting by Li Shan (1686-1762 AD), one of the “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”, who depicted an autumn scene of a clumsy but lovely goose standing beside several reed catkins.
The geese, seen as a dull animal by the common people, has been a subject for praise in Chinese poetry since ancient times, as geese are elegant, modest, diligent and enjoy the present life. The creator of this embroidery piece aims to express her understanding that people with great wisdom may appear slow-witted, just as the geese.

To Be Continued
Painter: Wu Guanzhong
Time of Embroidering: 2015