In 18th-century China, printing houses in the eastern city of Suzhou used woodblock printing to create colorful, intricate, yet affordable art. People who weren’t well to do used these works to decorate their homes or otherwise add some beauty to their lives. But despite being clear examples of Chinese craftsmanship, only a few of these prints have ended up in China’s museums.

Recognition is now coming from abroad, however. In August, two American museums — the Cleveland Museum of Art and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as CMA and the Met, respectively — announced that they had jointly acquired 220 such prints.

The collection was assembled by Swedish collector Christer von der Burg, founder and chairman of the Muban Educational Trust, a small charity based in London. He discovered them in private collections and auction houses throughout Europe and Japan.

“I am a little sad to part with these prints,” von der Burg told Sixth Tone by email. “But I am also very proud and satisfied that my collection has found such a prominent home. I am certain that they will now be more accessible to a larger public and to researchers.”

“This acquisition is transformative for CMA’s collection,” said Clarissa von Spee, the CMA’s curator of Chinese art, in a press release. “These prints allow the museum to address China’s invention of printing — centuries before the accomplishments of Johannes Gutenberg — and highlight the innovation of color printing with multiple blocks.”

Sixth Tone spoke with von Spee about the historical value of Suzhou prints, how the 18th-century artisans developed their style, and why so few of the prints survive within China today. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Sixth Tone: You called this acquisition “transformative.” What makes Suzhou prints from the 18th century so important?

Von Spee: These newly acquired prints are closely associated with paintings. As such, they will bring new attention and a fuller understanding to our Chinese painting collection. Furthermore, the collection allows the museum to address China’s invention of printing.

To our current knowledge, China invented woodblock printing around the 700s and developed color printing with multiple blocks in the early 17th century, well before the technique spread to Japan. Printing flourished in such Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) cities as Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Huizhou, evolving from privately enjoyed illustrated books printed in color to more commercialized single-sheet prints. These single-sheet prints were hung on walls and became part of the rich urban visual culture.

Color printing culminated around the 1720s to 1760s in the single-sheet prints from the commercial Suzhou workshops of Ding Liangxian, a well-known printmaker. The prints in this acquisition were all made in 18th-century Suzhou, representing perhaps the finest of Chinese color printing made in its history.

It is noteworthy that the blind-pressed paper — also called gauffrage — as employed by the Ding workshops for their bird, flower, fruit, and antiquities prints, creates striking three-dimensional effects and enriches the visual impression of those images. Even 300 years after their creation, we can still see the relief on the paper!

Sixth Tone: Suzhou prints depict a diverse range of subjects including birds and flowers, antiquities, architectural schemes, gardens, historic sites, and elite women. Many are large in size, over 100 by 50 centimeters. They were preserved as wall decorations in European or Japanese collections, but very few of these prints have survived in China, and almost none are in Chinese institutional collections. Why is that?

Von Spee: To our best knowledge, Suzhou prints were primarily produced for the Chinese markets and the urban population in and around Jiangnan cities. Their makers often imitated the formats, techniques, and subject matter of more costly paintings.

Prints were ephemeral. They were produced in multiples and were affordable. They were pasted or hung on walls, given away as gifts in sets, or acquired as souvenirs. Once those prints were faded or torn, they were likely disposed of or replaced with new ones.

There was also no tradition to collect prints in China or to consider them as works of art. This might be a reason why hardly any of those prints survived there. At present, we do not yet understand entirely how European and Japanese agents, travelers, and merchants acquired Suzhou prints, and how they were channeled toward foreign markets. However, the survival of those prints as wall decorations in European castles and palaces is evidence that they found their way to Europe. Other prints were collected, preserved, and even copied in Japan.

When Christer began acquiring these single-sheet color prints that he discovered in private collections, households, and auction houses throughout Europe and in Japan, few scholars knew about this material or appreciated it.

It is Christer’s lifelong commitment to finding, studying, and understanding this print material and sharing his finds with specialists worldwide that has gradually attracted the attention of curators and experts. Without him, prints may still float through hands and auction houses without getting the attention they deserve. These prints can tell us so much about China’s glorious past, its creativity, and visual culture.

Sixth Tone: One of the most remarkable aspects of Suzhou prints is their extensive use of European visual techniques, especially linear perspective and hatching to indicate light and volume. European pictures had been circulating in China for a long time, but their impact was mainly within the imperial court. How did these techniques end up in Suzhou prints?

Von Spee: The city of Suzhou and its artists and artisans in workshops had close ties with court officials and court artists in Beijing, as well as with missionaries and Christian converts. The latest trends and novelties from imperial Beijing, often introduced by the Jesuits at court and through other foreigners and agents, were immediately adopted and employed by these local printmakers in the south.

This includes techniques of hatching to indicate shading and volume, which derives from European copperplate prints. A new pictorial element was also the use of the central perspective in landscapes and cityscapes. Eighteenth-century Suzhou not only set trends in urban fashion, but the city was also a trendsetter in craftsmanship, spreading these novelties throughout the country.

Sixth Tone: Did the Suzhou printing tradition last into the 19th and 20th centuries?

Von Spee: Nineteenth-century China remained creative, but the Opium Wars affected life and workshop production, such as printmaking, as well as the consumption of luxury goods, in particular in the Jiangnan port cities. The ensuing Taiping Rebellion saw the devastation of whole cities and regions in Southeast China. By the 20th century, printing flourished again, especially in Shanghai and the Beijing region.

Sixth Tone: How did CMA and the Met come together to make this acquisition?

Von Spee: I have known Christer since my time as curator of Chinese art at the British Museum. When he decided to sell a part of his collection, he offered it to me first, and the enthusiasm at CMA was great. After careful consideration, we felt that it would be more appropriate for the purchase of these major historic prints of such high value to be shouldered by two institutions. I approached the Met and could not have found a better partner for the acquisition. They instantly understood the significance of these prints.

Sixth Tone: When will the public be able to see these prints at CMA?

Von Spee: The museum is planning to show its prints from November 2026 to May 2027.

Portrait artist: Wang Zhenhao.

(Header image: Details of the set “Women teaching children the four accomplishments,” Qianlong period (1736–95). Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)