Artwork Page for A Newly-Cut Print of Illustrations from The Classic of Mountains and Seas

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A Newly-Cut Print of Illustrations from The Classic of Mountains and Seas

新刻山海經全圖

1796–1820

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period

(1796–1820)
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Print only: 33.5 x 46.6 cm (13 3/16 x 18 3/8 in.); Overall: 49.7 x 79.8 cm (19 9/16 x 31 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.72
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 horizontally oriented polychrome woodblock print features a landscape filled with mythical beasts and Chinese inscriptions, framed by a border of flowers and circular coins. Centrally, blue and white swirling waters hold winged fish and a patterned turtle creature. Along the bottom, multi-tailed foxes, a spotted feline, and a horned beast stand on rocky terrain. Buildings frame the scene, while avian creatures fly between jagged blue mountains and stylized orange clouds.

A Newly-Cut Print of Illustrations from The Classic of Mountains and Seas

1796–1820

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1820)

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