Artwork Page for Story of the Western Chamber – The Delivery of the Love Letter

Details / Information for Story of the Western Chamber – The Delivery of the Love Letter

Story of the Western Chamber – The Delivery of the Love Letter

西廂記 – 寄簡傳情

1736–95

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

(1736–95)
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
52.3 x 26.8 cm (20 9/16 x 10 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.66
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 polychrome woodblock print depicts two women with light skin tones. In the foreground, a woman wearing a patterned tan robe stands by a desk, holding a letter toward another woman. The figure on our right wears a blue and tan robe with hands raised to her chin. In the background, a landscape screen sits behind the desk. Columns of Chinese calligraphy and a seal occupy the upper right.

Story of the Western Chamber – The Delivery of the Love Letter

1736–95

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

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