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Leaf from the Imperially Commissioned Illustrations of Agriculture and Sericulture

Jiao Bingzhen
Zhu Gui Chinese
Mei Yufeng Chinese

preface dated 1696

Not on view

In China emperors and empresses traditionally inaugurated the season for agriculture and sericulture in state rituals that acknowledged the importance of these activities to the prosperity of society. This print comes from an album with forty-six illustrations on the cultivation of grain and silk. It was commissioned by the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662–1722) and designed by Jiao Bingzhen after a twelfth-century model, with the addition of the emperor’s poem and seals.

Leaf from the Imperially Commissioned Illustrations of Agriculture and Sericulture, Jiao Bingzhen (active ca. 1680–1720), Woodblock print from an album of 46 leaves; ink on paper with hand coloring, China — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Yuzhi gengzhi tu

Title: Leaf from the Imperially Commissioned Illustrations of Agriculture and Sericulture

Artist: Jiao Bingzhen (active ca. 1680–1720)

Artist: Zhu Gui (Chinese, (ca. 1644–1717))

Artist: Mei Yufeng (Chinese, active 1696)

Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Date: preface dated 1696

Culture: China

Medium: Woodblock print from an album of 46 leaves; ink on paper with hand coloring

Dimensions: Image (single page): 16 1/4 x 10 9/16 in. (41.2 x 26.9 cm)
Overall (open book): 16 3/4 x 21 7/8 x 1 5/16 in. (42.5 x 55.5 x 3.4 cm)
Book cover: 16 15/16 x 11 5/8 in. (43.1 x 29.5 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: On loan from the British Musuem- Donated by Sotheby's