The Quiet Presence of Xu Qiu To look at the surviving record of Xu Qiu is to encounter a specific, localized fragment of the Qing dynasty. While many artists of the seventeenth century sought to redefine the boundaries of the brush, Xu Qiu’s presence in the historical canon is defined by a singular, focused output. The work survives not through massive collections or sprawling influence, but through its placement within the most guarde…