Lady Xuanwen Jun Giving Instructions on the Classics (detail) 1638

Chen Hongshou painted this scene, titled 'Lady Xuanwen Jun Giving Instructions on the Classics,' in the seventeenth century. The classical texts, prominently displayed here, are not merely books, but potent symbols of authority, knowledge, and continuity. Note how the figures are arranged, with Lady Xuanwen Jun elevated and central, commanding attention. The act of instruction carries echoes across time, reminiscent of ancient Greek philosophers teaching in the Lyceum, or even the image of Christ surrounded by his disciples. Yet, here, it’s a woman at the helm, an inversion that resonates with the psychological tension between tradition and change. Consider also the significance of the surrounding garden. The stylized trees and rocks are not just background; they reflect the deeper cultural memory of harmony, and the human desire to impose order on the natural world. These recurring motifs, passed down through generations, illustrate how cultural memory is perpetually reinvented, and how the past informs our present.