Satirical Prints of Suzhou Customs

A busy woodblock print shows many figures in a lively, caricatured scene: drummers beat a large drum beneath a banner, a seated official presides at a table, and figures in the upper left ride clouds. Dense black linework and sparse shading create a crowded, comic composition.

Look closer: A small figure in the upper left seems to ride a cloud, and inscribed characters appear on banners and in the margins.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1760

Medium

Woodblock print; ink on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

3400 × 2298 px

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