Issue 06

08-2021

Playful
Lesbian
Girls As
Portrayed
in Classical
Chinese
Erotic Art
Issue 06
08-2021

Playful
Lesbian
Playful
Girls As
Portrayed
Lesbian Girls
As Portrayed
in Classical
Chinese
Erotic Art

in Classical
Chinese
Erotic Art

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.
 Issue 06
08-2021 Contents

Playful Playful Lesbian Girls As Portrayed in Classical Chinese Erotic Art  7

Lesbian Fake Smiles  9
Girls As
Portrayed
Lesbian Get-together  11
in Classical Two Vaginas  13
Chinese Dream of the Red Chamber  15
Erotic Art
Doggy-style  17
Outrageous  19
‘Silent’ Voyeur  21
The Love of the Perfumed Partner  23
Moving Love Story  25
Olisbos  27
Dildo to the Knee  29
Passionate poem  31
Mission 36

Copyright © 2021

Design and lay out: Haags Bureau | Boekenmakers

First print: august 2021

Source:
‘Concubines and Courtesans – Women in Chinese
Erotic Art ‘ by Ferdinand Bertholet On Shunga
‘Dreams of Spring’ by Ferdinand Bertholet Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
No part of this publication may be reproduced and/ articles on lesbian
or published by means of printing, photocopying, sensuality and
microfilm, scan, electronic copy or in any other way, Chinese erotic art.
without prior permission from the author and publisher.
 Issue 06
08-2021 Playful Lesbian Girls As Portrayed in
Classical Chinese Erotic Art

Playful A long time ago (around 2006), when I first visited the collector Ferry
Lesbian Bertholet (1952) in Amsterdam, my eyes were drawn to a painting
Girls As
Portrayed
hanging in his hallway. It showed this explicit yet delicate private affair
in Classical of two young Chinese girls.
Chinese
Erotic Art

Not For Sale

He told me that he painted it himself in 1996 and that it was not for
sale, but that he had produced some giclee prints of the painting in a
very limited edition. Later I bought all the remaining prints.

Figure 1

Painting of ‘Two lesbian Chinese girls’ (1996) by Ferdinand Bertholet, oil on canvas On Shunga
Gallery you
(Size: 19 2/3” x 25 1/2” inches) can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

7
 Issue 06
08-2021 Fake Smiles

Playful The idea behind the painting was for Bertholet to offer a counterpart
Lesbian to Playboy and similar erotic magazines in which the bared women are
Girls As
Portrayed
only portrayed in exhibitionistic poses with fake smiles.
in Classical
Chinese Bertholet: “Western (explicit) erotic magazines often depict women
Erotic Art
with legs wide apart, while they look at the viewer with an empty look
or meaningless smile. There is no story or imagination behind it, there is
no love, refinement or romance.

When making this painting I wanted to be just as explicit in the

depiction of femininity, but now with the missing aspects just
mentioned, and in a Chinese setting from the 19th century. My painting
is a personal, artistic transposition of reality, connected to a fantasy
that makes the voyeuristic spectator complicit, as it were, because his
or her curiosity is aroused.

Are these ignorant sisters on a journey of discovery, are they a lesbian

couple or are they friends from a harem who satisfy each other for lack
of attention?”

Figure 2
On Shunga
‘Giclee edition’ Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

9
 Issue 06
08-2021 Lesbian Get-together

Playful As said above, Bertholet teleports us to 19th century China in which

Lesbian we witness two young concubines having a lesbian get-together. In my
Girls As
Portrayed
conversation with the artist, he alludes, ‘they may be sisters (adopted
in Classical sisters living together in a brothel) who enjoy themselves in their free
Chinese hours, so when there are no customers.’
Erotic Art

Secluded accommodation
At the time, the concubines were part of the harem of a rich lord or the
emperor and housed in a secluded accommodation, only accessible
to the eunuchs (see also fig. 5) and the master himself. Since there
were often long intervals where their services were not used, it was not
uncommon that reciprocal relationships prospered between the women.

On Shunga
Figure 3
Gallery you
can find many
‘Detail of the giclee’ other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

11
 Issue 06
08-2021 Two Vaginas

Playful The following copy is labeled by the artist as a poorly executed painted
Lesbian reproduction (Bertholet: “They have ugly colors and weak faces..etc.” )
Girls As
Portrayed
of an earlier version of the painting depicting two vaginas:
in Classical
Chinese
Erotic Art

Not Shocked
Generally, people were not shocked by the portrayal of lesbian
love. Stories are known from literature about lesbian encounters, which
were, in fact, not restricted to the harems, but also took place between
Buddhist nuns, prostitutes in brothels and between concubines and
their female servants.

Figure 4
On Shunga
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(Source: dolorosa-reveries.blogspot.com) can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

13
 Issue 06
08-2021 Dream of the Red Chamber

Playful The book Honglou meng, the ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ by Cao
Lesbian Xueqin (c.1715-c.1763) describes the slow decline of a powerful
Girls As
Portrayed
family. In one of the passages there is a colorful reference to female
in Classical homosexuality. It tells how an actress specializing in female roles.
Chinese In real life both women love each other just as much as in the roles they
Erotic Art
play onstage.

Stoic Eunuch
Love between females was also a beloved theme in visual art. A nice
example is a painting depicting two completely nude girls making love
on a low couch (fig. 5). Their richly adorned hairstyles and brightly-
colored silk shoes emphasize their nakedness. This scene takes place
on a warm summer evening. A few items of clothing are draped across
a porcelain seat. Behind the playful girls stands a stoic eunuch, cooling
himself with a painted fan.

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
Figure 5
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Reverse glass painting of a ‘Lesbian encounter observed by an eunuch’ Chinese erotic art.
(Late 19th century) by an unknown Chinese artist
15
 Issue 06
08-2021 Doggy-style

Playful Another painting shows a girl penetrating her partner doggy-style with
Lesbian the aid of a tied-on attachment (fig. 6). This painting on silk comes
Girls As
Portrayed
from a set of twelve lesbian scenes which are mounted on a roll.
in Classical You can find the ten other scenes at the end of the book.
Chinese
Erotic Art

Figure 6
On Shunga
Gallery you
Painting on silk, detail of a horizontal scroll (second half 19th century) can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

17
 Issue 06
08-2021 Outrageous

Playful Figure 7 depicts a painting in the more traditional style but from
Lesbian the Chinese point of view much more outrageous. In a refined
Girls As
Portrayed
setting two couples make love on planks covering their baths like a
in Classical bridge. The lesbian couple on the left uses an inventive construction
Chinese with a double-sided dildo that is attached to a rope and a pole.
Figure 7 Erotic Art

Painting on silk ‘Lesbian and heterosexual couple in the bath’ (late 19th century)

No Shoes
by an unknown Chinese master

Behind the couple on the right we see a zither in a silk case, incense
burners, and a garden gallery with a view of a hollowed rock with
flowering plants. All the girls have taken off their shoes and binding to
have their bath. These are lying with their clothes on a bench and on
the ground.

Most Intimate Part

Something is happening here that was unthinkable for centuries.
On Shunga The artist offers us in detail their unbound feet, considered the most
Gallery you
can find many intimate part of their body. An ancient precept is broken here, a clear
Figure 7a other exciting announcement of a new era.
articles on lesbian
Detail Lesbian Couple sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

19
 Issue 06
08-2021 ‘Silent’ Voyeur

Playful Another beloved subject for painters of erotic albums was the
Lesbian representation of a woman who pleasures herself in her loneliness by
Girls As
Portrayed
means of a dildo which is tied to her ankles and can put into operation
in Classical by simple movements of the lower leg (fig. 8). Such an aid called a da
Chinese xianggong, or ‘great master’. Often extra excitement was evoked by the
Erotic Art
addition to the picture of a ‘silent’ voyeur.

On Shunga
Gallery you
Figure 8 can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
‘Girl playing with herself using a strap-on dildo watched by a young man’ (Late 19th sensuality and
century) Chinese erotic art.

21
 Issue 06
08-2021 The Love of the Perfumed Partner

Playful Lesbianism was accepted and generally condoned in Confucianist

Lesbian China. As in other traditional cultures where sexual isolation was the
Girls As
Portrayed
rule and harems were considered a status symbol, women naturally
in Classical turned towards this form of sexual expression. Many stories and novels
Chinese can bear witness to the relative freedom that love between women
Erotic Art
enjoyed. The 17th-century author Li Yu (writer of Rouputuan) wrote a
play entitled, Lian xianghan (The Love of the Perfumed Partner), on
the theme of an ardent attachment between two women. When the
heroines meet - in a temple - they instantly fall in love with each other.
The elder of the two is married, and she persuades her husband to take
the younger girl as his concubine. After many adventures, this comes to
pass and they live happily ever after.

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
Figure 9 articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.
‘Secret encounter of two concubines in the garden’ (Late 19th century)

23
Issue 06
08-2021 Moving Love Story

Playful The famous collection of short stories Liaozhai zhiyu (Strange Stories
Lesbian from the Willow Cottage) by the author Pu Songling (1630-1715) has
Girls As
Portrayed
a very moving story about the love of two women. Both are great
in Classical beauties, but one is the daughter of a rich family, whereas the other
Chinese is very poor, or at least pretends to be so. After an initial fortuitous
Erotic Art
meeting, the rich young woman, Miss Fan, falls ill from love-sickness, so
strong is her infatuation with the poor girl, Miss Feng. When they meet
again, Miss Fan hides her lover in her room, and so they stay together
and make love for four full months on end.

Ménage à Trois
When they are found out, Miss Feng thinks of a stratagem, her darling
Miss Fan should marry. Being not only extremely beautiful, but also
exceedingly clever, she finds a poor but brilliant and promising young
scholar. The marriage is concluded, and of course Miss Fan wants her
beloved Miss Feng to be part of a ménage à trois. The latter refuses
however. Then Miss Fan thinks of a scheme: she makes her lover drunk,
and then lets her husband make love to her. But alas! When Miss Feng
On Shunga comes to her senses, she is furious and disconsolate. In fact she is
Gallery you
can find many a fox-fairy, who, after hundreds of years of Taoist practice is due to
other exciting become a nature goddess. Now that she has been defiled by a man, her
articles on lesbian
sensuality and chance of her attaining immortality is gone. Thus the great love story
Chinese erotic art.
ends as a tragedy.
25
 Issue 06
08-2021 Olisbos

Playful This rare silk scroll (see fig. 6, and fig. 10 to 18) is more the fruit of
Lesbian imagination than of realistic observation. The artist has exhausted
Girls As
Portrayed
his ingenuity by portraying some twelve couples making love with the
in Classical help of an olisbos, a type of dildo. That the use of this implement was
Chinese widespread has been documented by Van Gulik. Various medical texts
Erotic Art
describe how they were made (of ivory, or by bundling stalks of certain
plants, or also by making it out of silk, stuffed with cotton) and warned
against excessive use. According to Chinese doctors of yore, it could
Figure 10
endanger the health of those addicted to it, causing them to die an
early death.

On Shunga
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can find many
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sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.
Figure 11

27
 Issue 06
08-2021 Dildo to the Knee

Playful Lesbian love, of course, also had other ways and means of sexual
Lesbian satisfaction. In this scroll however, the olisbos is the thing: for one
Girls As
Portrayed
person alone (fig. 8), for two together, one for oneself and one for one’s
in Classical partner (fastened, for instance, to the knee - fig. 12 and 18), the ladies
Chinese display great virtuosity at the use of the dildo.
Erotic Art

Sweatshop
In fact, the whole scroll expresses a rather obsessive preoccupation
with it, so much that many of the young girls’ faces express serious
concentration on the job instead of merriment. There is hardly any
naughtiness, more the idea of hard work. They look like young women
laboring in a sweatshop, sewing with all their might. This scroll
may have been intended to be funny. It does not do justice to the
relationships of true love which could blossom in the woman’s quarters
Figure 12 Figure 13
of ancient China.

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

29
 Issue 06
08-2021 Passionate poem

Playful In conclusion, a passionate poem dedicated to lesbian love by the

Lesbian famous female poet Wu zao (early 19th century):
Girls As
Portrayed
in Classical
Chinese On your slender body
Erotic Art
Your jade and coral girdle ornaments chime

Like those of a celestial companion

Figure 14
Come from the Green Jade City of Heaven

One smile from you when we meet

And I become speechless and forget every word.

For too long you have gathered flowers,

And leaned against the bamboos,

Your green sleeves growing cold,

In your deserted valley:

I can visualize you all alone,

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
A girl harbouring her cryptic thoughts.
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
Chinese erotic art.

Figure 15 31
 Issue 06
08-2021

Playful You glow like a perfumed lamp

Lesbian
Girls As In the gathering shadows,
Portrayed
in Classical We play wine games
Chinese
Erotic Art And recite each other’s poems.

Then you sing ‘Remembering South of the River’

With its heart-breaking verses. Then

We paint each other’s beautiful eyebrows.

Figure 16 Figure 17

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and
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33
 Issue 06
08-2021

Playful I want to possess you completely –

Lesbian
Girls As Your jade body,
Portrayed
in Classical An your promised heart.
Chinese
Erotic Art It is Spring,

Vast Mists over the Five Lakes.

My dear, let me buy a red painted boat

And carry you away. *

On Shunga
Gallery you
can find many
other exciting
articles on lesbian
sensuality and * Taken from the book ‘Concubines and Courtesans -
Figure 18 Chinese erotic art. Women in Chinese Erotic Art ‘

35
Mission
At ShungaGallery it’s our explicit
purpose to offer a sensual oasis in
a desert of prudishness. Although
the internet has ensured that
there are enormous opportunities
for people to express themselves,
there is still a politically correct
moral that suppresses the more
bold expressions. This same
puritanism also still applies within
the art and museum world where
the so-called risky subjects
are avoided.

We will fight this by fire and sword

and therefore continue to add new
exciting eBooks and content on
shunga, Chinese erotica and other
adjacent subversive topics in the
future. Thanks a lot for buying our
sixth eBook. This way you support
our mission of making the beauty
of sensual art known to a larger
audience...!!