Scenic View of Suzhou

姑蘇勝景

1736–95

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

(1736–95)

Medium

Hanging scroll; multicolor woodblock print; ink and color on paper, printed in three shades of black, hand colored

Measurements

Print only: 112 x 55.8 cm (44 1/8 x 21 15/16 in.); Overall: 188 x 64 cm (74 x 25 3/16 in.); with knobs: 188 x 71 cm (74 x 27 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.53

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Location

Not on view

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

Warm tones in yellow and ocher dominate this print that depicts figures within a garden compound, a pavilion, and other architectural structures. Among the few direct references to the city of Suzhou are the written title and Tiger Hill Pagoda in the upper left part of the print. Thus, the top printing panel may have been used and combined with other printed sections that had more specific depictions of the city.

The inscription reads:
Year round there is no need to search for flowers.
When fish are tired from jumping, they float
Painted boats rest after sailing at the small bridge.
The King of Wu was indeed a heroic ruler:
For a thousand years his fine fame has endured.
––from Chinese Gusu Prints in the Christer von der Burg Collection, edited by Weng Lianxi and Christer von der Burg (Beijing, 2026), 140.