Artwork Page for Lotus Seeds and Water Caltrops

Details / Information for Lotus Seeds and Water Caltrops

Lotus Seeds and Water Caltrops

蓮蓬和菱角

1700–1750

China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911)
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Print only: 29 x 34.2 cm (11 7/16 x 13 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.113
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

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.

Description

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.
A woodblock print features a patterned ceramic bowl resting on an ornate, curved black stand decorated with white and yellow flowers. Inside, two green lotus pods with pitted tan tops cluster with five pointed, reddish-pink water caltrops and a heart-shaped gray form. The bowl's exterior displays a blue and green leaf pattern, while the interior is red. Creases and light stains texture the paper, framing the centered still-life.

Lotus Seeds and Water Caltrops

1700–1750

China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

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