Satirical Prints of Suzhou Customs

A monochrome woodblock print divided into vignettes of figures at work: a physician mixing medicine, a scholar at a desk, a bookseller, a monk sweeping, and a Daoist with a carrying pole. Black outlines and grey tone set off the bustling, satirical composition beneath the title panel.

Look closer: A small vertical inscription in the upper right panel labels the figures with characters, and a fan-holding figure stands near the top right.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1760

Medium

Woodblock print; ink on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

3400 × 2469 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund