Two Rare Suzhou prints of Ladies with children


18th centuryTwo woodcut prints, xylographs, hand colored and framed and glazed. 37 1/2 x 21 1/2in (95.2 x 54.6cm); 26 1/2 x 19 1/2in (67.3 x 49.5cm)
|蘇州版畫 鏡框兩幅 十八世紀 It is quite uncommon for Suzhou prints to come to market. Produced in the 17th and 18th century these rare survivors offer a compelling glimpse into the aesthetics of the period and are of many highlights in the history of Chinese printmaking. Often made in diptychs, triptychs and tetraptychs their subject matter ranged from city views to ladies with children, as seen in this lot. For recent scholarship on these uncommon prints see Gao Fumin Kang Qian Sheng Shi "Suzhou Ban" 康乾盛世「蘇州版」, Shanghai, 2014 and Zhang Ye The Study of Western-Influenced Gusu Prints 洋風姑蘇版研究 , Beijing, Wenwu Chubanshe, 2012. Zhang Ye's investigation based on his doctoral thesis examines the impact of European aesthetics and theorizes that these prints were made primarily produced for export.