Artwork Page for Picture of a Cat, a Bird, and a Crabapple

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Picture of a Cat, a Bird, and a Crabapple

海棠綬帶富貴圖

1662–1735

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi reign (1622–1722) to Yongzheng reign

(1723–35)
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Print only: 50.6 x 30 cm (19 15/16 x 11 13/16 in.); Overall: 53 x 34.6 cm (20 7/8 x 13 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.60
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 depicts a bird with blue and green plumage perched amidst pink blossoms, looking back toward the left. A brown trunk curves gracefully from the bottom center, its branches sweeping upward with green foliage. Below, craggy blue and white rocks anchor the left, while a white cat with black and yellow spots reclines on the right, gazing upward. The composition highlights the tree's fluid, organic form against an unadorned background.

Picture of a Cat, a Bird, and a Crabapple

1662–1735

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi reign (1622–1722) to Yongzheng reign (1723–35)

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