Page from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy 1633

This is a page from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy, made in China by Hu Zhengyan, probably in the early 17th century. It is a multi-block woodcut print, meaning that each color was carved as a separate block, inked, and then printed in careful sequence. Look closely, and you can see the effects of this process. The thin paper slightly cockles from the pressure and moisture of printing. The colors, though subtle, have a vibrant, almost gem-like quality. This was not just a commercial technique, it was a refined art form. This particular page is visually arresting, but the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual had a larger goal. It was patterned on the aesthetics of ink painting, the exclusive domain of the elite. By unlocking its look, and offering it to a broader public, the manual democratized traditional art practices, and enabled new social possibilities for image-making.