The Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual : [volume 1]

Wang, Gai, active 1677-1705 · 1748 · 11 pictures

The Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual is a Chinese woodblock-printed painting manual compiled under the name Wang Gai, published in 1748 as volume 1, meant for students learning to paint flowers, birds and plants. Its double-page spreads show birds perched on blossoming branches with calligraphic inscriptions and red seal stamps beside them. A designer might take from them the economical outline-and-wash method, with a few colour accents set against open, unpainted paper.

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library