New Year's Day Pictures:New Year's Day,Lantern Festival,and the First Day of the Dynasty
The imperial theme of New Year's Day(Sui)gained widespread popularity in Suzhou prints during the Qing dynasty,fostered not only by the royal court but also imbued with a folkloristic charm.This is exemplified by Cai Weiyuan's rendition of New Year's Picture:Plum and Snow Struggle for Spring and Taowu's interpretation of New Year's Picture.Suzhou prints often depict scenes of children playing with firecrackers,a motif likely connected to the traditional concept of"spring thunder and a hundred lads".The flourishing era of Suzhou printmaking in the Qing dynasty coincided with the adoption,during the reign of Qianlong,of the term"New Year pictures".Consequently,the New Year pictures of this era aligned with the prevailing notion of"New Year pictures"within the context of that time.
New Year picturesSuzhou printsPortraits of the four concubinesFirst day of a new dynastyNew Year pictures
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
