芥子園畫傳|Seeds and Aleurities Cordata (?): Page from The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting (Jieziyuan huazhuan)
1782, 2nd edition
Medium
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 10 7/8 × 12 3/8 in. (27.6 × 31.4 cm) Mat: 15 1/4 × 22 3/4 in. (38.7 × 57.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941
Accession Number
CP281
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite page from the 1782 second edition of *The Mustard Garden Manual of Painting*Jieziyuan huazhuan*) showcases the Qing dynasty's mastery of bird-and-flower motifs, a staple of Chinese literati art. Attributed to Dao Cheng, it depicts delicate birds amid seeds and foliage—possibly ailanthus cordata—rendered in vibrant polychrome woodblock printing Originally compiled in 1679 by the Wang family and Shen Xinyou, influential manual served as a comprehensive guide for aspiring artists, offering precise models for brushwork, composition, and natural forms across ten volumes. The medium'...