Rare Chinese Woodblock Prints: The Huntington

choi

Press Release: Rare Chinese Woodblock Prints to Go on View in Major International Loan Exhibition. The Huntington, June 28, 2016
http://www.huntington.org/WebAss ... ntent.aspx?id=22167
(subtitle: " 'Gardens, Art, and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints' explores the art of pictorial prints from the late 16th century to the 19th century—and marks the first time the public can see The Huntington’s rare Ten Bamboo Studio Manual"/ On view Sept 17, 2016 – Jan 9, 2017)

Quote: " 'Gardens, Art, and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints' (Sept 17, 2016 – Jan 9, 2017) 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

Note:
(1) caption of woodblock 1: "Persimmon and tangerines, with calligraphy in running cursive script by Xing Yi 行一, Fruit 9 果九 [ie, 果譜 No 9], Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting 十竹齋書畫譜, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen 崇禎 period [born 1611; reign 1627-1644] to early Qing dynasty, ca 1633–1703. Compiled and edited by Hu Zhengyan 胡正言 (1584/5–1673/4). Woodblock-printed book mounted as album leaves, ink and colors on paper, 9 7/8 × 11 1/4 in, each sheet. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens."
(a) "《十竹齋書畫譜》，凡八卷 [or 譜]，分為《書畫冊》、《墨華冊》、《果譜》、《翎毛譜》、《蘭譜》、《竹譜》、《梅譜》、《石譜》。"
(b) I can not find anything about 行一.

(2) June LI 李關德霞 "is co-curator of the exhibition and co-author of the catalog, along with * * * Suzanne Wright. * * * 'In the realm of Chinese art, pictorial woodblock prints are not as familiar as paintings, calligraphy, or ceramics,' said Li. 'The subject of woodblock prints usually brings to mind Buddhist icons, Daoist deities, or folk images, rather than refined and artistic works.' "

(3) "In the first gallery of 'Gardens, Art, and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints,' visitors will find an impressive nine-and-an-half-foot long hand scroll that was commissioned by the Song emperor Taizong 宋太宗 (r[eign] 976–97). An unusual Buddhist work that depicts landscape rather than images of deities, it is the earliest and only religious work in the exhibition, showing the lofty achievements of woodblock printers by the 10th century * * * The accomplishments of such early printing established the technical foundation from which later Ming and Qing artists grew. Illustrations of the Garden Scenery of the Hall of Encircling Jade [see (9)], an extraordinary set of 45 prints produced around 1602 to 1605 will be displayed in facsimile (the only evidence that remains of the original [which are not extant])."
(a) "《[宋太宗] 御製秘藏詮》插圖四幅，是現存最古老的山水畫版畫"
(b) 《御制秘藏詮山水圖》（局部）. 燦爛的中國文明 (name of the website), undated.
http://hk.chiculture.net/0515/html/b05/pop01.html

(4) caption of woodblock 2: "Pomegranate and Magnolia with Bird, Qing dynasty, ca. 1700–1750. Artist: Ding Liangxian 丁亮先. Publisher: Jinchang district, Suzhou, Jiangsu province 江蘇省蘇州市金閶區. 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."

金閶區
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/金阊区
(1980-2012; 江蘇省蘇州市曾經所轄的一個市轄區; 2012年設立蘇州市姑蘇區)

choi

(5) caption of woodblock 3: "Illustration from Rare Edition of the Northern Story of the Western Chamber, Corrected by Zhang Shenzhi 張深之(校正) 正北西廂 (記) 秘本, Ming dynasty, 1639. Compiler and editor: Zhang Daojun 張道濬 [the last character's simplified version is 浚] (d 1642). Artist: Chen Hongshou 陳洪綬 (1599–1652). Carver: Xiang Nanzhou 項南洲 (act. mid-17th century). Woodblock-printed book, ink on paper, 11 × 6 3/4 in, each page. National Library of China 中国国家图书馆."
(a) 版畫創意. In 匠心筆蘊; 院藏明清版畫特展  The Printmaker's Ingenuity and Craft; Ming and Qing prints in the National Palace Museum. Taipei: National Palace Museum, 陳列室 Gallery 104, July 18, 2015-Jan 10, 2016.
http://theme.npm.edu.tw/exh104/printmaker/ch/page-3.html
(b) "几个世纪以来， 《西厢记》 有许多版本。 明崇祯其间 出版的《西厢记秘密版》 （张深之校注）尤其以优美的版画插图闻名。 插图家是明朝晚期著名画家洪绶。 构图新颖精美，是各版插图中的佼佼者。 其中 '偷窥信件' 插图真实生动地反映了故事情节和精神；是古代版画插图的经典之作。"  世界数字图书馆, undated.

(6) "Illustration from Story of the Peony Pavilion and the Return of the Soul 牡丹亭還魂記, Ming dynasty, 1617. Carvers: Huang Dexiu 黃德修 (1580–1652), Huang Yikai 黄一楷 (1580–1622), Huang Yifeng 黄一風 (b 1583), and Huang Yibin 黄一彬 (b 1581). Woodblock-printed book, ink on paper, Vol I, 10 3/4 × 6 1/2 in.; Vol II, 10 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. each page. Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library."

徽派版畫 黃氏刻工  (The historic 徽州 is now part of 安徽省黄山市歙县.)


(7) " 'Morning Mist by the Western Ridge 西嶺晨霞,' Thirty-Six Imperial Views of the Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat, Qing dynasty, 1714. Artist and engraver: Matteo Ripa, also known as Ma Guoxian 馬國賢 (1682–1746), copied from design by Shen Yu 沈喻 (1649–after 1728). Publisher: Imperial imprint, Beijing. Book of copperplate engravings, ink on paper, 12 1/2 × 73/8 in., each page. The Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass. © 2015 Peabody Essex Museum. Photograph by Walter Silver."
(a) "Thirty Imperial Views * * *" apparently have different names by different owners. Also, a woodblock by nature creates many of the same prints. That is why quite a few museums own 西嶺晨霞, besides Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts.

康熙三十六景
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/康熙三十六景
("是康熙年間在避暑山莊內興建的三十六座建築，它們是：")
(b) 西嶺晨霞
(i) Matteo Ripa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Ripa
(captionof a woodblock print: "Morning Glow on the Western Ridge (西嶺晨霞); copperplate; (1711-1713) width 28 cm, height 45 cm. National Palace Museum, Taipei")
(ii) 版畫創意.
http://theme.npm.edu.tw/exh104/printmaker/ch/page-3.html
("御製避暑山莊詩（並圖）")
(iii) 西嶺晨霞. British Museum, undated
http://www.britishmuseum.org/res ... 269802&partId=1

"Museum number 1955,0212,0.1.27 [acquired in 1955];
title (object) 西嶺晨霞;
title (series) 御製避暑山莊三十六景;
Culture/period  Qing dynasty (Kangxi);
Date 1711-1713;
Materials  paper"

You see, both National Palace Museum and British Museum have the prints of 康熙 period/era (see Wiki page for Matteo Ripa), whereas the former. In addition, has a print made in the 乾隆 period.

choi

(8) "Scenes from Story of the Western Chamber: The Complete Version 全本西廂記圖, Qing dynasty, 1747. Publisher: Peach Blossom Cove 桃花塢本, Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Hand-colored woodblock print mounted as hanging scroll, ink on paper, 38 1/4 × 19 7/8 in. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College."

徐文琴, 十八世紀姑蘇版《全本西廂記圖》之探討－康熙至乾隆時期「洋風版畫」專題研究. In 宮廷與地方; 乾隆時期之視覺文化國際研討會. 國立臺灣大學藝術史研究所, Dec 15 and 16, 2011.
http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~artc ... /abstracts_4_2.html
(9) "Detail from Illustrations of the Garden Scenery of the Hall of Encircling Jade 環翠堂園景圖, Ming dynasty, ca 1602–5. Artist: Qian Gong 錢貢[繪圖] (ca 1573–1620). Carver: Huang Yingzu 黄應祖[刻] (b 1563). Publisher: Wang Tingna 汪廷訥 ['表現明代戲曲家汪廷訥的園林生活'] (ca 1569–after 1628), Wang Family Hall of Encircling Jade 環翠堂 [汪廷訥 築], Huizhou. Photolithographic reproduction of woodblock-printed handscroll, 1981, made from metal plates created in the 1960s, Beijing, 13 7/8 × 10 1/2 in. Collection of Richard Strassberg."

徽派版畫
(10) "Two rocks, with calligraphy in seal script 篆書 by He Guangxiu 何光休, Rock 7 石柒, Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period to early Qing dynasty, ca 1633–1703. Compiled and edited by Hu Zhengyan (1584/5–1673/4). Woodblock-printed book mounted as album leaves, ink and colors on paper, 9 7/8 × 11 1/4 in, each sheet. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens."
(11) " 'In the Manner of Wen Zhengming's Orchids in Rain 效文徵明雨蘭' (left) and 'In the Manner of Shen Zhou's Orchids in Clear Weather 效沈周明蘭' (right), Orchid 8 蘭八 and 7 蘭七, Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period to early Qing dynasty, ca. 1633–1703. Compiled and edited by Hu Zhengyan (1584/5–1673/4). Woodblock-printed book mounted as album leaves, ink and colors on paper, 9 7/8 × 11 1/4 in., each sheet. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens."

沈周 (1427–1509)
(12) "Illustrations of the Grand Birthday Celebration of the Kangxi Emperor 康熙帝萬壽慶典圖 [六十歲], Qing dynasty, 1715–17. Artists: Wang Yuanqi 王原祁 (1642–1715), Leng Mei 冷枚 (act. 1677–1742), and others. Publisher: Imperial Household, Beijing. Woodblock-printed book mounted as handscroll, ink on paper, 13 1/8 × 984 in. Shanghai Museum 上海博物館."

陳葆真, 康熙萬壽盛典獻物中與書畫相關問題之研究. In 兩岸故宮第三屆學術研討會：十七、十八世紀（1662-1722）中西文化交流. National Palace Museum, Nov 15-17, 2011 ("摘要")
www.npm.gov.tw/exh100/academic/d ... /SummaryPaper02.pdf
("為記此盛事，康熙皇帝首先勅命詞臣畫家宋駿業、王原祁和冷枚等院畫家製作《萬壽盛典圖》，以圖繪他與扈從和鹵簿在生日前一天由暢春園回到紫禁城時沿路百姓熱烈慶祝的盛況。此圖又曾製成版畫。稍後他又命王原祁將有關這次曠世未有的祝壽大典活動編寫成《萬壽盛典初集》。《萬壽盛典初集》包含文獻 118 卷，版畫2 卷。全書以文字和圖畫忠實地記錄了整個慶典的活動過程")