Yuán Jiāng 袁江
Chinese, active ca. 1670–1755
BiographyYuan Jiang 袁江 (Yüan Chiang) was a native of the city of Yangzhou. Because he did not belong to a prominent family, relatively little is known about his life. Early in his career, he may have studied under another Yangzhou artist, Li Yin (active late 17th - early 18th century), to whom he appears stylistically related. In 1706, he was hired as an assistant to the painter Gao Qipei (1660-1734), and probably worked for him for several years. Through his connection with Gao Qipei, Yuan may then have worked at the imperial court as a painter-in-waiting during the early years of the Yongzheng reign period (1722-1735). After this, he is said to have spent several years painting for the wealthy merchants of Shanxi province, before finally returning home to Yangzhou. His dated paintings span the years from the 1690s to the 1740s (with one controversial painting that seems to be dated as late as 1756). Toward the end of his life, Yuan's output slowed, and much of the work was probably taken over by his follower Yuan Yao, who was most likely either a son or nephew. It is not known precisely when Yuan Jiang died.