Wife, Wealth, Sons, and a Salary

1692

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Wife, Wealth, Sons, and a Salary is a 1692 by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Kangxi Reign, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1692 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a Chinese print of a man sitting under a tree, surrounded by his wife, three sons, and a servant holding a scroll that reads “salary.” This was a wall poster meant for middle-class homes during the Kangxi reign. The scene shows off family success—wealth, sons, and a steady job—all in bright, flat colors. It’s like a 17th-century vision board. To see more prints from this time, look up *kangxi reign (1622–1722)*.

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.