The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 29, 2026

A horizontally oriented polychrome woodblock print features a landscape filled with mythical beasts and Chinese inscriptions, framed by a border of flowers and circular coins. Centrally, blue and white swirling waters hold winged fish and a patterned turtle creature. Along the bottom, multi-tailed foxes, a spotted feline, and a horned beast stand on rocky terrain. Buildings frame the scene, while avian creatures fly between jagged blue mountains and stylized orange clouds.

A Newly-Cut Print of Illustrations from The Classic of Mountains and Seas

1796–1820

China, Qing dynasty

(1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1820)
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Print only: 33.5 x 46.6 cm (13 3/16 x 18 3/8 in.); Overall: 49.7 x 79.8 cm (19 9/16 x 31 7/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2025.72
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

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.
  • ?–2025
    (Christer von der Burg, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2025–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=A Newly-Cut Print of Illustrations from The Classic of Mountains and Seas|url=false|author=|year=1796–1820|access-date=29 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.72