Artwork Page for Bird on Lotus

Details / Information for Bird on Lotus

Bird on Lotus

蓮花上的喜鵲

1700–1750

China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911)
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
30.1 x 38.2 cm (11 7/8 x 15 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.118
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 polychrome woodblock print on wrinkled, cream-colored paper depicts a large pink lotus flower blooming beside mottled olive-green leaves. Above, a pink bud sits on a stem. To the right, a bird with blue and black wings perches on a green seed pod, looking downward. Six vertical columns of calligraphy mark the upper center. Thin green stems and blades of grass arc across the lower composition.

Bird on Lotus

1700–1750

China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

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