TWO WOODBLOCK PRINTS FROM THE MUSTARD SEED GARDEN PAINTING MANUAL QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

TWO WOODBLOCK PRINTS FROM THE MUSTARD SEED GARDEN PAINTING MANUAL QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY 清 《芥子園畫傳》木刻版畫（兩幅） ink and colours on paper, both depicting peonies, unframed Dimensions:27.4cm x 32.6cm; 27.5cm x 32cmProvenance:Provenance: Private English collection; formerly acquired from Galerie Zacke, 1994.Each verso with partially inscribed respective labels: 'GALERIE ZACKE alte Kunst aus Asien WIEN 1994 / Nr. 216' & 'GALERIE ZACKE alte Kunst aus Asien WIEN 1994 / Nr. 418'Note: Note: The political stability and economic prosperity in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) brought wealth, literacy, and social mobility to China's burgeoning urban population. Cities such as Nanjing and Suzhou became centres for the educated elite and wealthy merchants who fostered an avid consumption of culturally sophisticated goods, including finely printed material. In the early seventeenth century, the technique for high-quality printing in graded colours had been perfected. Some often without the use of ink outlines, enabled printers to create images that closely resembled paintings executed with a brush. This quest for technical refinement significantly impacted and inspired the development of colour printing in Japan.The two prints presented in this lot are leaves from The Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual, first compiled by Wang Gai, and published in 1679AD. The manual aimed to showcase the ‘scholarly’ painting to the townsmen of Jiangsu, Nanjing. This work is recognised by many scholars as a preeminent painting handbook. Due to its success and popularity among the literati, The Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual has been reprinted in China, Japan and Korea. Not only were classical painting compositions translated into the print medium, but contemporary artists also contributed painterly designs that served as both inspiring models and actual painting manuals.Both two prints in this lot depict peonies, the images are complemented with poems in fine calligraphy and with seals by the artist who designed them. The print with two seals is from the fourth volume of the manual. Compare the two seals in a related example, which also depicts peony sprays, dated to the Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, 1701AD, is in the British Museum, museum no. 1982,1011,0.1; The other related print with a comparable seal, dated similarly as the above, ca. 1700, is also in the British Museum, museum no. 1982,1011,0.19