examples in the books, or the works of the old masters in the
gallery. One of her favourite presents to her friends, as you
probably know, is a picture from her own brush, decorated with
the impress of her great jade seal, the date, and an appropriate
poem by one of the members of the College of Inscriptions. And no
presents that she ever gives are prized more highly by the
recipients than these paintings."

I had seen pictures painted by Her Majesty decorating the walls
of the palaces of several of the princes, as well as the homes of
a number of my official friends. Some of them I thought very
attractive, and they seemed to be well done. They were highly
prized by their owners, but I was anxious to know what the Lady
Miao thought of her ability as an artist, and so I asked:

"Do you consider the Empress Dowager a good painter?"

"The Empress Dowager is a great woman," she answered. "Of course,
as an artist, she is an amateur rather than a professional. Had
she devoted herself wholly to art, hers would have been one of
the great names among our artists. She wields her brush with a
power and precision which only genius added to practice can give.
She has a keen appreciation of art, and it is a pity that the
cares of state might not have been borne by others, leaving her
free to develop her instinct for art."

The Empress Dowager kept eighteen court painters, selected from
among the best artists of the country, and appointed by herself,
whose whole duty it was to paint for her. They were divided into
three groups, and each group of six persons was required to be on