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Pomegranate and Magnolia with Bird, Qing dynasty, ca. 1700–1750. Artist: Ding Liangxian. Publisher: Jinchang district, Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Woodblock print with embossing, ink and colors on paper (multi-block technique with hand-coloring), 11 7/8 × 14 3/4 in. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens will present a major international loan exhibition exploring the art, craft, and cultural significance of Chinese woodblock prints made during their golden age, with works made from the late 16th century through the 19th century.

“Gardens, Art, and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints” brings together 48 of the finest examples gathered from the National Library of China, Beijing; the Nanjing Library; the Shanghai Museum; and 14 institutional and private collections in the United States. The exhibition presents monumental visual accounts of sprawling, architecturally elaborate “scholar’s gardens,” alongside delicate prints with painterly textures and subtle colors depicting plants, birds, and other garden elements so finely wrought they might be mistaken for watercolors. A highlight of the exhibition is The Huntington’s rare edition of the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting (ca. 1633–1703), on public view for the first time in this exhibition.

During the late Ming (1368–1644) and early Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, an increase in wealth, stemming in part from the salt, rice, and silk industries, led to higher levels of literacy and education. Consumer demand for printed words and images increased as merchants and scholars looked for ways to display their taste in drama, poetry, literature, and art. For these elites, gardens were central to a cultured life, appearing frequently in woodblock prints as subject or setting. By the 1590s, several enterprising publishers were successfully meeting the strong demand for woodblock prints. They hired renowned designers, carvers, and printers to produce sophisticated and exquisite works, raising the standards of printmaking. During the last decades of the Ming dynasty, several centers of printing around the lower Yangzi River delta grew in reputation, ushering in a golden age of Chinese pictorial printing.

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about Chinese woodblock printing techniques in the Education Gallery. Lectures, a workshop and a symposium have also been planned. A summary of related programming follows:

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Chinese Woodblock Prints of the Late Ming and Qing Periods
October 3, 2016
7:30 pm
Free lecture, Rothenberg Hall


“How Can I Disdain…this Carving of Insects?” Painters, Carvers, and Style in Chinese Woodblock Printed Images
October 25, 2016
7:30 pm
Free lecture, Rothenberg Hall


The Huang Family of Block Cutters: The Thread that Binds Late Ming Pictorial Woodblock Printmaking
November 22, 2016
7:30 pm
Free lecture, Rothenberg Hall


Word and Image: Chinese Woodblock Prints,
November 12, 2016
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Symposium, Rothenberg Hall
View schedule


Chinese Color Woodblock Printing
November 20, 2016
Workshop
See Huntington Calendar for details

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