清 王槩 設計，李漁 出版 芥子園畫傳 版本|Page from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting
first edition, printed in 1679
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
9 5/8 x 11 13/16 in. (24.4 x 30 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1924
Accession Number
CP33
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite page from the *Mustard Seed Garden Manual of* (*Jieziyuan Huazhuan*), designed by Wang Gai and published Li Yu in 1679, exemplifies the pinnacle of Qing dynasty woodblock printing. Produced during China's early Qing period (1644–1911), this first-edition manual was a groundbreaking instructional guide for aspiring artists, compiling traditional techniques for landscapes, flowers, birds, and figures. Its landscapes tag highlights masterful depictions of mountains, trees, and mist, drawing from the "three perfections" of Chinese painting—poetry, calligraphy, and brushwork. Crafte...
About the Artist
Wang Gai · 1645–1710
Wang Gai (王概, 1645–1710), a prominent Qing dynasty painter from Xiushui in Zhejiang province, established himself in the vibrant cultural hub of Nanjing, where he flourished from around 1677 to 1705. Born into a scholarly family—his father-in-law was the renowned writer Li Yu (1611–1680)—Gai trained under the master Gong Xian (1619–1689), one of the Eight Masters of Jinling, adopting his robust la...