Sitting upright, slightly leaning on the table, and leisurely handling the prayer beads, this lady is watching two cats play on a windowsill. The painter has us view the interior of the room from outside the round window, so the focal interest in this painting is relatively small, but because the painter used western one-point perspective, the foreground, middle ground, and background are laid out systematically, which has the result of significantly expanding the sense of space and also extending the charm of the scene. The chime clock next to the lattice window is marking the passage of time as the cats play on the threshold of inner and outer space. In an ambiance of suspended activity, the days thus pass quietly.

A Beauty at Leisure: Wearing a fur-lined coat, Looking in a Mirror

Wearing a fur-lined surcoat, and with jade adorning her wrist, the lady in this painting holds a bronze mirror in one hand, while warming the other by gently resting it on a brazier. In the background, there is a hanging scroll inscribed by Hermit Pochen. Pochen (literally "defeating the dust of the world") was the sobriquet that the Yongzheng emperor had adopted when he was still a prince. It implies that he aimed to be pure of heart and had few desires.

A Beauty at Leisure: Watching Snow Beside a Brazier