Artwork Page for A Quatrain about Peonies

Details / Information for A Quatrain about Peonies

A Quatrain about Peonies

牡丹一絕句

1736–95

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign

(1736–95)
Medium
Hanging scroll; polychrome wood-block print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Print only: 109.6 x 52.3 cm (43 1/8 x 20 9/16 in.); Overall: 198 x 64.6 cm (77 15/16 x 25 7/16 in.); with knobs: 198 x 71 cm (77 15/16 x 27 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.24
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?

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.

Description

Woodblock printing in color reached its height in China in the 1600s to 1700s. It was executed by means of sets of separate blocks, each carved to print a different color.
A vertical hanging scroll depicts a blue-green patterned vase centered on a red stand, overflowing with large pink and red peonies and white magnolias. Bold black calligraphic characters fill the tan background in tall vertical columns, framing the central bouquet. Small blossoms and green leaves splay out from the arrangement into the calligraphy. Decorative floral bands in gray and yellow border the top and bottom, completing the composition.

A Quatrain about Peonies

1736–95

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)

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