Cleveland Museum of Art

The Two Immortals of Harmony and Unity

Date

1736–95

Medium

Hanging scroll; polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

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

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. 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.

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