Page from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting
In 1679, publishers Shen Xinyu and Li Yu printed the first edition of the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. Produced in five volumes, it included sections on technique, trees, rocks, figures, and reproductions of works by famous painters. Nanjing painter Wang Gai was chosen to illustrate the book, and he did so by adapting a painting primer from an earlier artist. For an aspiring painter without access to a collection of their own, the Mustard Seed Manual and others like it were invaluable resources, as they offered a glimpse into the elite training available to painters of privilege. While numerous painting manuals found favor in China, Korea, and Japan, none had so great an impact as the Mustard Seed Manual, which was widely reproduced and disseminated.
Artwork Details
- 清 王槩繪圖、李漁出版 芥子園畫傳 木版畫
- Title: Page from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting
- Artist: Illustrated by Wang Gai (Chinese, 1645–1710)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: first edition printed in 1679
- Culture: China
- Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 9 5/8 x 11 13/16 in. (24.4 x 30 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1924
- Object Number: CP6
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Wang Gai
first edition printed in 1679
Wang Gai
first edition printed in 1679
Wang Gai
first edition printed in 1679
Wang Gai
first edition printed in 1679
Wang Gai
first edition printed in 1679
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