Li Wenzhong Clears the North

1808

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Jiaqing Period

Dominant colour

Li Wenzhong Clears the North is a 1808 by Unknown, a Romanticism work, depicting Jiaqing Period, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1808 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a general on horseback, leading soldiers through a snowy mountain pass. The scene is packed with tiny figures—some fighting, others marching—all wrapped in thick winter robes. This painting was likely made as a print, not a one-of-a-kind scroll. Back then, colorful prints like this were sold cheaply and hung in homes, almost like posters. The artist’s name is lost, but the style matches prints from cities like Suzhou, where workshops churned out scenes of battles and legends. To see more prints from this time, look up *china, qing dynasty (1644–1911)*.

The story of this work

Overview

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.

Did you know?

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.