BibliOdyssey has posted a gorgeous collection of images of "nianhua," Chinese woodblock illustrations of various traditional gods that have been produced over the last 1,000 years. In Chinese folk religions, these inexpensive paper prints were prominently displayed throughout the house to bring good fortune to the inhabitants and ward off evil spirits. Many of the prints were replaced every year, the old prints ceremonially burned on auspicious dates. Some prints, particularly elaborate and colorful ones, would be pasted on altars or kitchen doors and stables, venerated for a year before being burned. (Click here for more on the ceremonial use and how to "read" the prints.)
Stop by BibliOdyssey to read more about this unique form of art and check out some of the links (especially to Columbia University's C. V. Starr East Asian Library's extensive collection, donated by Anne S. Goodrich who acquired a substantial collection of prints in China in the 1930s).
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