Bird on Lotus
1725
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1725
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Bird on Lotus is a 1725 by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Suzhou, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A small bird perches on a lotus pad in the center of a square sheet. The lines are crisp and the colors flat—no shading, just ink and bright mineral pigments. This was probably a wall print sold in Suzhou markets; people bought them to decorate homes during the Qing dynasty. Look for the tiny red seal in the corner: it’s the printer’s mark, like a brand logo. These prints were mass-produced, yet each one feels handmade because the blocks wore down over time. Next, explore more works tagged “Qing dynasty (1644–1911).”
In the 1600s, printing flourished in such Jiangnan cities as Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Huizhou, evolving from privately enjoyed illustrated books printed in color to more commercialized single-sheet color prints that were hung on walls and became part of the rich urban visual culture.
Woodblock printing in color reached a height in China in the 1600s to 1700s. The prints were executed by means of sets of separate blocks, each carved to print a different color.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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