Wen Chu

Wen Shu or Wen Chu (; 1595-1634) was a Chinese illustrator and painter who worked under the art name Hanshan and was known for her paintings of flora and small insects during the Ming dynasty. She is considered the finest flower painter of the period.

Her work was popular at the time, and consistently sells well at auction. Her painting Rising Early in the Spring to Lament Flowers (1631) was sold at Christie's New York on 16 September 2015 for US$413,000, four times its estimate.

Life Wen Shu was the great-granddaughter of Wen Zhengming, a leading Ming dynasty painter of the Wu School whose family were also highly respected in the movement. Her father was Wen Congjian, a landscape painter, and taught both his children to paint from a young age. Her brother, Wen Ran, was a calligrapher and landscape painter.

Wen Shu married Zhao Yun who was a student of her father and a member of the House of Zhao. They lived a reclusive life in a villa close to the Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou, in an area noted for its natural beauty. This is supported by the fact her work seldom carries poems or dedications: the absence of these is an indicator of work for commercial clients. She is noted for an attention to detail, even when she was using the mogu (boneless) technique.

Reception Her professional work was sufficiently popular that she trained female assistants to help with the workload. For the collection Pattern of Plants and Insects by Hanshan she produced one illustration a day for one thousand days. During her lifetime, other artists would produce forgeries of her work.

Paintings Insects, Birds and Butterflies (1626). Album of twelve leaves, painting on silk. Insects, Birds and Flowers. Album of twelve leaves, painting on silk. Carnations and Garden Rock (1627). Fan painting. Lily, Narcissus, and Garden Rock (1627). Hanging scroll. Playing Butterflies (1630). Hand scroll. Rising Early in the Spring to Lament Flowers (1631). Hanging scroll. Flowers and Birds in the Style of the Song Court (1631). Ink on silk. Flowers and Butterflies (1632). Hanging scroll. Grasshopper and Flowers (1633). Fan painting.