Admonitions of the instructress to the court ladies

Event information

• Type: Exhibition
• Date: 13 July – 24 August 2026
• Tickets: Book now
• Location: British Museum
• Address: Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG
• Official page: https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/admonitions-instructress-court-ladies

Details

This masterpiece is considered a milestone in Chinese painting history.

Traditionally attributed to Gu Kaizhi (about AD 345–406), it probably dates to between AD 400 and 700. Due to conservation precautions, it can only be displayed for six weeks a year.

The Admonitions Scroll depicts a poetic text composed by an official Zhang Hua (about AD 232–300) aimed at correcting the behaviour of an empress. The Scroll carries inscriptions by later collectors including the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–1795). The British Museum purchased the Scroll from Captain Clarence Johnson (1870–1937) who was in Beijing in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901). Originally a handscroll, the painting and later inscriptions were separated and mounted onto panels in 1914.

Also on display is Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River, another work painted in the style of Gu Kaizhi. This handscroll painting illustrates the story of Prince Cao Zhi's (AD 192–232) imaginary romantic encounter with a female deity. This display offers a rare opportunity to see two works preserving Gu's style side-by-side.