Compendium of Materia Medica

Illustrations for the Compendium of Materia Medica

A traditional Chinese woodblock illustration from the "Bencao Gangmu" (Compendium of Materia Medica). The scene depicts a rugged, mountainous landscape. In the upper left quadrant, a hunter wearing a cap and long-sleeved robes is shown in profile, drawing a bow and aiming an arrow downward toward the center of the image. In the lower right foreground, a gnarled tree with clusters of large leaves grows on a slope. Behind the tree trunk, a horned animal, likely a deer or a similar ungulate, is partially visible. The artwork uses bold black outlines characteristic of Ming or Qing dynasty botanical and encyclopedic prints.