Yun Shouping

Yun Shouping came from a family of scholars in Jiangsu. He refused to seek public office under the foreign Qing government, and instead earned his livelihood with his brush. A fine poet and calligrapher, Yun developed a reputation for his flower paintings in light color washes and in the "boneless" (mogu) technique, using no outlines. According to the artist's inscription, this painting of peonies was inspired by a work of the Northern Song period. Yun was so successful in flower painting that family members had to help out in his studio and local print designers imitated his style. Yun’s most talented successor was his daughter Yun Bing.