Gathering 'Jingsang' Mulberry Leaves
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Gathering 'Jingsang' Mulberry Leaves is a 1880 paint by Jun Wu, a chinese_orthodox_school work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
A group of men climb tall ladders to pick mulberry leaves from skinny trees. The leaves feed silkworms for silk, a key industry in 1800s China. Wu’s brush keeps the scene calm and practical, not dramatic. The trees are called jingsang mulberries. They grow straight and strong in north China. Artists later used similar calm lines to show everyday work. Look for the same quiet detail in Wu Jun’s other albums at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
