The domain of Empress Yang (1162-1233): Art, gender and politics at the Southern Song court. (Volumes I and II)

Empress Yang, better known in Chinese art history as Yang Meizi, was a formidable figure of considerable skill and power at the Southern Song court and a unique imperial patron of art. Arising from a humble background of court entertainer to become cultured empress and finally empress dowager, Empress Yang developed a remarkable talent for utilizing professional court painters in the making of collaborative works of art consisting of her inscriptions and the painters' images. This dissertation examines Empress Yang's legacy in the context of the subject's domain of the capital at Hangzhou, and the specific problems constituting the triangular relationship of art, gender and politics.; The dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter One provides a general background to the study of Southern Song painting and imperial patronage by reconstructing the physical and cultural environment of the Southern Song court at Hangzhou and West Lake, utilizing both textual accounts and paintings that detail the splendors of the capital. Chapter Two examines the biography of Empress Yang, including her relationships with Empress Wu, her predecessor and patron, Emperor Ningzong, her husband, and Emperor Lizong, Empress Yang's sponsored successor to Ningzong. Chapter Three is a discussion of some of the problems surrounding the collaborative works sponsored by imperial figures of the Southern Song court, including ghost-writing and the identification of individual calligraphy styles, the relationship between imperial patron and court artist (focusing on Ma Yuan, the painter expressly favored by Ningzong and Empress Yang), and the practice of combining words with images. Chapter Four consists of detailed examinations of extant paintings carrying Empress Yang's inscriptions, including paintings on objects, paintings of secular festivities, religious paintings and paintings presented to designated recipients. An appendix provides a more detailed exploration of the paintings of Hangzhou utilized in Chapter One.