Cleveland Museum of Art

Gusu Beauties of the Four Seasons – Spring

Date

1736–95

Medium

Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

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

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. 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.

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