March 12, 2012 |
There’s something about the words concubine and courtesan that makes you stop and think, “How glamorous, always loved me some Madame de Pompadour, how does one go about becoming one? Is there a course?” Anyway, Concubines and Courtesans: Women in Chinese Erotic Art covers three centuries of erotica, from the end of the Ming Dynasty to 1920s Shanghai, and tells a story, via ivory carvings, pottery, fans, screens, oil paintings and photography, of love, religion, gender roles and eroticism in Chinese history. Out now.
by Natalie Dembinska
