Admonitions of the Instructress to the Palace Ladies, created circa 380, is a handscroll painting attributed to Chinese painter Gu Kaizhi, who is a renowned artist of the Six Dynasties and regarded as the founding father of Chinese figure painting. The Admonitions scroll, a famous work of Gu’s, depicts a text written by the official Zhang Hua in 292, which aims to educate court ladies on virtue and ethics.
The detail of ‘Palace Ladies‘ is the last of the twelve scenes that make up the Admonitions scroll, portraying a palace instructress and two palace ladies. Tasked with educating her peers on conduct, the instructress (at the rightmost) can be seen inscribing her admonitions onto a piece of paper, while the two palace ladies can be seen strolling side by side.
While being rendered archaistically, the painting also employs a shading effect that is more modern. Combined with the gossamer-like ink outlines, this artwork demonstrates Gu’s ability to “describe the spirit through the form” for his subjects. Gu’s brush work, in particular, is described as full of “spiritual breath”, mirroring nature’s form of motion with the motion of his own hand while drawing. In the painting, this is especially apparent in the flowiness of the palace ladies’ gowns, flowing behind them as they move.
The Admonitions scroll is currently in the British Museum, obtained after the Boxer Rebellion (1899 - 1901) in Beijing.
This exquisite handscroll captures the refined essence of early Chinese courtly art, most remarkably the "gossamer silk line" ('gaosilv') technique. The continuous, fine brushstrokes lack dramatic variation in thickness, yet they generate immense kinetic energy, making the ribbons swirl as if caught in a gentle palace draft. The numerous red stamps framing the figures are collector seals, marking centuries of imperial ownership and indicating that this piece was treated as a sacred treasure across dynasties. It is interesting to note that the Admonitions scroll represents one of the earliest surviving examples of narrative figure painting used to reinforce Confucian moral codes. By shifting the purpose of art from mere decoration to a high-minded tool for spiritual and behavioural edification, Gu Kaizhi elevated the painter from a simple craftsman to a respected intellectual peer within the imperial court.
