Artwork Page for Beauties with Orchids

Details / Information for Beauties with Orchids

Beauties with Orchids

美人蘭花圖

1736–95

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

(1736–95)
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Measurements
66.8 x 49 cm (26 5/16 x 19 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.89
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 women with light skin tones leaning together. The woman on our left wears a long purple robe over a green skirt, holding an orchid sprig near her mouth. The woman on our right wears a green checkered robe with a red sash and blue skirt. She places one hand on the other’s waist and another near her head against a plain, tattered background.

Beauties with Orchids

1736–95

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

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