Rise in Rank and Attain Wealth
1766
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1766
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Rise in Rank and Attain Wealth is a 1766 by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Qianlong Reign, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a Chinese print of a man in a garden, holding a scroll and pointing to a peach tree heavy with fruit. This print was made during the Qianlong reign, when woodblock printing in color became really advanced. Each color came from a separate carved block, layered like a puzzle. The peaches symbolize long life and success—hinting at the man’s hopes for a better future. To see more prints from this time, look up *qing dynasty (1644–1911)*.
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.
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.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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