Artwork Page for Praying Mantis on a Lychee

Details / Information for Praying Mantis on a Lychee

Praying Mantis on a Lychee

荔枝上的螳螂

1700–1750

Southeast China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911)
Medium
Multicolor woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
28.3 x 38.4 cm (11 1/8 x 15 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.117
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 on cream paper features a flowering lychee branch arching from the left. Clusters of yellow-orange and green fruit hang among olive-green and tan leaves near small red blossoms. A green and red mantis stands on a lower twig, facing left. Four vertical columns of black calligraphy occupy the upper right corner. Delicate black outlines define the forms, filled with soft, translucent washes of color.

Praying Mantis on a Lychee

1700–1750

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

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