Li Yin

Li Yin (; C. 1610 – 1685), also known by her courtesy name Jinsheng (今生) and her art names Shi'an (是庵) and Haichang Nüshi (海昌女史) or Kanshan Yishi (龛山逸史), was a Chinese calligrapher, courtesan, painter, and poet during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. She was noted for her illustration of flowers and birds. Her artwork was highly sought after during her lifetime, resulting in fakes being produced by more than forty imitators.

Early life Li Yin was born in Kuaiji (Shaoxing), Zhejiang, during the late Ming dynasty. Various sources give her year of birth as 1610, 1611, or 1616. with Huang Zongxi comparing Li to her more famous contemporaries Wang Wei and Liu Rushi. She studied painting under an otherwise unknown master named Ye Danian (葉大年), who helped develop her style in the manner of Chen Chun and Xu Wei, two renowned painters of the previous century. They had a close relationship and spent much time together painting and composing calligraphy. For the next 40 years, Li Yin lived alone and in poverty at the Laughing Bamboo Studio in Haichang, Ge's hometown in the suburb of Haining. The renowned scholar Huang Zongxi wrote her biography. and Li Qingzhao of the Song Dynasty.

Li Yin was chiefly noted for her paintings of flowers and birds, typically in ink monochrome with fluid brushstrokes. Her reputation was such that her paintings were considered an essential souvenir from Haichang, and it is estimated there were over forty imitators in the area producing fakes for gullible tourists. She painted with a flowing ink style reminiscent of the Ming dynasty painter Chen Chun (1483–1544), and was considered to be the finest female painter by critic Qin Zuyong. Many of her paintings are in the collection of the Palace Museum, including:

Flowers and Birds Pine and Eagle Willows and Magpies Mynas and Pomegranates Lotus and Mandarin Ducks Flowers and Plants

Her other paintings include: Flowers of the Four Seasons, 1649. Ink on satin. Yellow Hibiscus, date unknown, Ink on gold paper fan. Rock, Bird, and Pear Blossoms, 1654. Ink and colour on gold paper fan. Swallows and Peonies, 1673. Ink on satin hanging scroll.