Print of Xu Gate and the City Moat

Unknown artist, 1736–95

Download3400 × 3211 px View on a wall Edit

Medium: Multicolor woodblock print; ink and color on paper, printed in black, later hand colored, possibly in Europe
Size: Diameter: 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); Sheet: 27.8 x 30.3 cm (10 15/16 x 11 15/16 in.)
Culture: Southeast China, Suzhou, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Designed with an innovative perspective, as if the viewer is looking at the scenes through a camera lens, this round print shows the scenery and arch of Xu Gate, part of the city wall, in the west of Suzhou. The location was traditionally frequented at the lantern festival during New Year celebrations in early spring. The print thus combined multiple selling points: it could be sold to locals as New Year prints, as souvenirs to tourists, and as curious images of China to agents from overseas.