Artwork Page for Birds on Plum Branches

Details / Information for Birds on Plum Branches

Birds on Plum Branches

1700–1750

Southeast China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911)
Medium
Multicolor woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
37.1 x 28.8 cm (14 5/8 x 11 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.110
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 vertically oriented woodblock print depicts two birds on a gnarled, blue-gray plum branch with pale pink blossoms. In the upper left, a bird with a yellow belly and orange-brown wings leans down toward another bird below on the right. The second bird has a yellow chest and brown-striped wings, tilting its head up with an open beak. A tan flower grows near the base, and calligraphy appears at the upper right.

Birds on Plum Branches

1700–1750

Southeast China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

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