明 胡正言 《十竹齋書畫譜》 四開 木版畫|Page from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy

Art Historical Context

This exquisite leaf comes from Hu Zhengyan’s *Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy*, first printed in 1633 during China’s Ming dynasty. Hu, a scholar-publisher based in Nanjing, compiled the manual as an instructional guide for aspiring artists, offering models of brushwork, composition, and color application drawn from nature and calligraphy traditions. Produced as a woodblock-printed book, each page reflects the refined aesthetic sensibilities of late-Ming literati culture, when printed manuals democratized access to artistic knowledge previously reserved for elite circles. The medium—ink and color on paper—highlights Hu’s pioneering use of multi-block color printing techniques. By carving separate blocks for different hues and carefully registering them, the studio achieved subtle gradations and delicate details that closely mimicked hand-painted originals. This innovation made the manual both a practical teaching tool and a work of art in its own right, influencing generations of painters and printmakers across East Asia. Today, individual leaves such as this one, measuring just under ten by eleven inches, allow modern viewers to appreciate the manual’s intimate scale and exquisite craftsmanship. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1924, it stands as a testament to the Ming era’s remarkable fusion of scholarship, technology, and artistic expression.

About the Artist

Hu Zhengyan · 1584–1634

Hu Zhengyan (胡正言, c. 1584–c. 1674) was a Chinese artist, publisher, seal-carver, and printmaking innovator who lived through the turbulent transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty. Born in Xiuning in Anhui province, he eventually settled in Nanjing, where he established his home and workshop on a hill within the northern city wall and named the property the Ten Bamboo Studio, or Shizhuzhai, af...