KANGXI, Emperor of ChinaBiblio.com
24 784 résultats
réf. 1136136 folding black & white woodcut plates. 88 folding leaves. Two debtelin in one vol. 8vo 265 x 166 mm. pink wrappers orig. block-printed title-slip on yellow silk on upper cover early stitching. Beijing: Wuying dian 武英殿 Postscript dated 1712. First edition of the Kangxi Emperor's r. 1661-1722 poetic cycle for the 36 scenic sights within the Rehe summer estate each accompanied by a stunning double-page woodcut illustration. Printed under the emperor's direct supervision on superior paper and using woodblocks carved by two of the finest artisans in the palace workshop this celebrated album had an initial print run of only 400 copies 200 in Manchu our copy and 200 in Chinese. As Stephen H. Whiteman writes in Where Dragon Veins Meet: The Kangxi Emperor and His Estate at Rehe 2020 these exclusive royal albums were most likely gifts from the Kangxi Emperor to "a relatively small circle of imperial clansmen steppe elites senior officials and others close to the throne" on the occasion of his 60th birthday in 1713 and their presentation was meant to "generate a particular bond of loyalty between the emperor and those he favored with this rare gift" pp. 183 224. First constructed in 1703 and enlarged over the next century the Rehe summer estate located beyond the Great Wall in present-day Chengde about 175 kilometers northeast of Beijing played an important role throughout the Qing empire's political history. It is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When the Kangxi Emperor ordered its initial construction in 1702 after half a century of expansionary war the summer estate was to become "the most substantial in a network of traveling palaces Ch. xinggong 行宮 that supported his annual tours north among the court's Inner Mongolian allies." But its significance quickly expanded. The Mountain Estate to Escape the Heat as the site would eventually be named effectively served as a secondary capital the emperor residing there from late spring through early autumn each year over the last decade of his life. "Yet it was also decidedly not the capital. Freed from the architectonic constraints of the Forbidden City Kangxi employed imperial parks and gardens as alternative spaces of rulership. Like his almost exact contemporaries in Europe and South Asia Aurangzeb r. 1658-1707 Louis XIV r. 1643-1715 and Peter the Great r. 1682-1725 Kangxi made designed landscapes central to his performance of authority.Kangxi's Mountain Estate was substantially a site of rituals of intimacy and exchange that performed a temporary elision of social difference between emperor and subject: roaming in the gardens banqueting entertainments and gift giving"-ibid. pp. 4-5. "In 1711 the Kangxi emperor formally initiated a project that sought to interweave the physical and sensory experiences of the Mountain Estate with his ideology of rulership and personal biography. Imperial Poems on the Mountain Estate to Escape the Heat presented the thirty-six scenes of the park-palace through a combination of imperially composed texts and images created by artists of the court. Produced almost simultaneously in three different mediums the work was part of a coordinated multifaceted effort to articulate a vision of Qing imperial rule through the links between landscape technology and the emperor himself"-ibid. 151. Our edition is the first to contain woodcuts; it was the second of many installments of the album - including a later one with copperplate engravings made by the Italian missionary Matteo Ripa 1682-1746 - and the earliest that survives. It opens with the emperor's "Record of the Mountain Estate" Ma. Han-i araha alin-i tokso de halhūn be jailaha gi bithe dated Kangxi 50 1711 followed by the impressions in red of his personal seals: Ti yuan zhu ren 體元主人 and Wan ji yu xia è¬å¹¾é¤˜æš‡; the latter which means "a brief leisure" was reserved for the emperor's own calligraphic and literary works. The emperor briefly introduces each of the 36 scenic poems in prose as if guiding the reader through a personal tour of the summer estate. The fold-out woodcut illustrations drawn by the court artist Shen Yu 沈崳 b. 1649 and carved by the artisans Zhu Gui 朱圭 ca. 1644-1717 and Mei Yufeng 梅裕鳳 fl. ca. 1696-1713 follow each poem. The album concludes with the Postscript signed by four palace officials who supervised its production dated Kangxi 51 1712. "Whether derived from or simply correlated to the unique album now lost the woodblock-printed book functions as a surrogate for the paintings. It imitates the album's arrangement and mode of engagement with the landscape pairing image and text in an intimately scaled format. The style of the images evokes Wang Yuanqi but also and more significant the emperor's most important artist thereby marking the book as a work of the court's highest echelon of cultural production and an object clearly commissioned and owned by the emperor. "Kangxi was intimately involved in the minutiae of the book's production from the selection of a specific type of high-quality paper to reviewing and editing the printing proofs to inspecting samples of the finished work. He was kept closely informed about the progress of the project including difficulties in curing the datewood blocks Zhu Gui and Mei Yufeng used as well as the need for more artisans given the scale and intricacy of the work. The order for four hundred copies two hundred in Chinese and another two hundred in Manchu came directly from the throne. In comparison to other contemporary projects with print runs of one thousand or more this number suggests that the emperor had a clear sense of the exclusive audience he intended to reach."-ibid. pp. 182-83. A monument of artistic production under imperial patronage the album of 36 sites has been the topic of extensive scholarly research. Comparing the woodcut edition to earlier traditions of royal literature and garden illustration in China the art historian Ma Yazhen 馬雅貞 of National Tsinghua University points out that many aspects of this album were unprecedented. For example she observes that the album is likely the first use of a fold-out illustration in a Chinese book - a detail that has long been overlooked. The wide fields of vision printed without frames the absence of persons within the buildings and corridors and the visual presentation of imperial poetry alongside official commentaries are only some of the album's many fascinating features that being unusual and sometimes unprecedented continue to generate new scholarly interpretation and debate. Interest in the album has only grown in recent decades following the publication of court archives that shed light on the process of its production. We know now for example that the Kangxi Emperor personally specified the layout choice of paper number of copies and even the thickness of brushstrokes of the Manchu issue and that its printing was carried out in batches in the year 1713 rather than 1712 date of Postscript. Some of the idiosyncrasies of the Manchu issue which survives less well than its Chinese counterpart nevertheless remain under-explored by researchers who have generally focused on the Chinese-language editions of the album. We find little scholarly discussion for example on the emperor's choice to exclude from the Manchu issue the extensive commentaries for his poetry compiled by palace officials a decision that surely gave the album a different - perhaps more personal than belletristic - tone of voice a voice reserved exclusively for its Manchu-speaking recipients. As mentioned above the Manchu issue has survived less well than the Chinese issue. Of the Manchu issue we locate copies at BnF Columbia LC SBBerlin Cambridge Harvard and SOAS in WorldCat. In fine and fresh condition preserved in yellow silk-covered folder and slipcase. The plates are fine and clean. The fold in each plate has been very carefully strengthened on the verso. A few minor marginal tears and paper flaws. Several other minor and skillful repairs. ⧠Philippe Forêt Mapping Chengde: the Qing Landscape Enterprise University of Hawai'i Press 2000; 馬雅貞 "皇苑圖繪的新典範：康熙《御製é¿æš‘山莊詩》的製作åŠå…¶æ„義" 故宮學術季刊 32 No. 2 2014 pp. 39-80. James A. Millward et al. eds. New Qing Imperial History: the Making of Inner Asian Empire at Qing Chengde Routledge 2004. Stephen H. Whiteman "Creating the Kangxi Landscape: Bishu shanzhuang and the Mediation of Qing Imperial Identity" PhD dissertation Stanford 2011; idem. Where Dragon Veins Meet: The Kangxi Emperor and His Estate at Rehe University of Washington Press 2020. unknown
1800réf. 26715Canton 1800. Large 4to. 15 x 12 1/2 inches. 141 watercolours on thin paper nearly all captioned in ink in Chinese in the lower right corner each tipped to a sheet of wove paper. Mid-nineteenth century citron half morocco over marbled paper covered boards spine with raised bands in six compartments lettered in gilt in the second compartment the others with a repeat decoration in gilt marbled edges Provenance: Annie Pearson Viscountess Cowdray née Cass 1860-1932 Dunecht House Aberdeenshire. An extraordinary album of early Chinese export watercolours of the highest quality. Beginning in the late 18th century centred on the treaty port of Canton there existed a thriving trade in ethnographical watercolours executed by local Chinese artists and sold to the western merchants and travellers. The best known result of this trade is William Mason's Costume of China first published in London in 1800 which is illustrated with 60 hand-coloured aquatints adapted from a series of original watercolours by Pu-Qua of Canton. It was common for the local artists including Pu-Qua to work from a set series of models. The present album includes a number of compositions that are from the same set of models as those used by Pu-Qua but they include more detail and more of the trade-associated paraphernalia than are shown in the images as published in Mason's work. This suggests that they were not copied from Mason but were after another more detailed source or were unique compositions by the artist based on a similar series of models. Importantly these watercolours are of a uniformly higher quality than usually encountered and represent not only a wide array of occupations but also members of the highest echelon of Chinese society. The detailing on the costumes worn by these members of the royal court is breathtaking with copious use of gilt. Later collections of Chinese export watercolours were routinely executed on less expensive pith paper whereas the present watercolours are on high quality tissue and are larger in size than those typically encountered. The album represents an earlier more prestigious style of export watercolour paintings specifically meant for wealthy Europeans. These are Chinese watercolours of the highest quality designed and executed to the highest standards. The album was once owned by Annie Pearson Viscountess Cowdray Steward of Colchester and wife of Lord Weetman Dickinson Pearson 1st Viscount Cowdray. Cf. Crossman The China Trade Princeton: 1972; cf. Clunas Chinese Export Watercolours London: 1984. unknown
1775réf. 1691811775. QIANLONG EMPEROR OF CHINA 1736-1796. Suite of four engravings depicting the conquests of the Qianlong Emperor. From the suite of sixteen engraved plates. Printed in Paris under the direction of Charles-Nicholas Cochin. Broadsheets image size: 515 x 890 mm. Preserved in the contemporary French green paper mounts with black ink outline borders. Professionally framed. With the original French printed labels describing the individual engravings affixed to back of frames. Paris 1769-1774. These four contemporary hand-coloured engravings represent individual scenes from the exceedingly rare series of sixteen engravings commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor to commemorate the victory of his 1755-1760 military campaigns against the Western Mongols. The four plates are: I. "General Fou Te Accepts the Surrender of the Ili" showing the triumphal march of the Emperor and his general to Beijing. Drawn by Sichelbart and engraved by B.L. Prévost in 1769 Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens 1; II. "The victory of Khorgos." in the Spring of 1758 against the forces of Amoursana. Drawn by J. D Attiret cut by C. N. Cochin and engraved by J. Ph. Le Bas in 1774. Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens 4; III. "The great victory of the Qurman." on February 3 1759 when the Chinese general Fou-te with only 600 soldiers defeated an army of 5000 Muslims. Drawn by Damasceno and engraved by A. de St. Aubin in 1770. Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens 8. IV. "The Emperor Gives a Victory Banquet to the Officers and Soldiers who have distinguished themselves in battle" at Tseu-kuang-ko the Imperial Palace Gardens Beijing on July 5 1754. Drawn by Castiglione and engraved by J. Ph. le Bas 1770 Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens 16. These large Chinese-French prints are among the most impressive works ever produced by the method of copper engraving. This is the first series of engraved plates to document the conquests of the Qianlong Emperor. They represented an amalgam of Chinese imagery Italian interpretation and Parisian copperplate engraving at its apogee. The drawings were supplied by Jesuit artists attached to the Emperor's court in Beijing. Upon completion they were shipped to France for engraving as the craft was unknown in China. After the Emperor was shown battle prints by the Augsburg artist Georg Philipp Rugendas 1666-1743 he wished to see his military conquests recorded in intaglio prints as well. He therefore ordered his Jesuit court painters Giuseppe Castiglione 1688-1766 called "Lang Shining" Jean Denis Attiret 1702-1768 "Wang Zhicheng" Ignaz Sichelbart 1708-1780 "Ai Qimeng" and Giovanni Damasceno Sallusti i.e. Joannes Damascenus a SS. Concepcione d. 1781 later bishop of Beijing called "An Deyi" to prepare sketches for the prints which they did in 1764 and 1765. Four of the drawings had been completed by the time of Castiglione's death when the decision was made to send the work to France via the ships of the Compagnie des Indes. According to the Emperor's decree no expense was to be spared. The first four drawings reached Paris in the autumn of 1766 and the remaining twelve in July 1767. The Marquis de Marigny director of the Academie Royale de Peinture et Sculpture decreed that the work should be carried out under the supervision of Charles-Nicholas Cochin 'fils' 1715-1790. As the French paper manufacturers did not have paper of the desired proportions the paper-merchant Prudhomme was ordered to make it to custom; the new size was called Grand Louvois. The copperplates were imported from England. Cochin chose Beauvais for the actual printing of the sheets on the grounds that he was "the only one who can be completely trusted both regarding his talents as well as his honesty which is well-known." The work proceeded slowly; standards of the highest quality were called for and some of the pictures especially the one by Sallusti needed careful editing. The original order was for 100 copies of each print but by 1768 this figure was increased to 200 copies so that at least 100 would survive the journey back to China ! -- however several authorities claim that many copies were lost at sea. In any event the final delivery was not shipped until 1775 occasioned in part by the difficulty the printers had producing a uniform series of prints from drawings by different artists. Three of the initial drawings were made by Attiret six by Damasceno one by Sichelbart and at least two by Castiglione; the remaining are unsigned but have been attributed to Castiglione by C. & M. Beurdeley and others. The engravers were L.J. Masquelier 1 J. Aliamet 2 J. Ph. Le Bas 5 A. St.-Aubin 2 F.D. Née 1 B.L. Prevost 2 P.P. Choffard 2 and N. de Launay 1. The Emperor's instructions stated that all the impressions were to be sent to him along with the original copper plates. However there is plentiful evidence that prints were pulled for the King of France and influential persons in Paris as well. Most of the surviving sets and individual prints appear to belong to this surreptitious group. The above series is not only a landmark in the history of Chinese and European art but also testifies to the direct artistic cooperation between China and Europe in the eighteenth century. It has been a common misconception that China was only interested in itself and detested the foreigners -- here the Emperor himself proved the contrary. VERY RARE IMPRESSIONS WITH CONTEMPORARY FRENCH HAND-COLOURING. The complete set of sixteen black and white engravings or a few individual prints from this set have come onto the market for sale only rarely. We can locate no other examples of any of the prints with contemporary colouring having been for sale or in public or private collections. PROVENANCE: Robert Barnwell Roosevelt 1829-1906 the uncle of Theodore Roosevelt and great-uncle of Eleanor Roosevelt. He was an early conservationist and worked for the protection of waterways. Roosevelt served in Congress and was later appointed to a diplomatic post in the Netherlands. He is credited with influencing his nephew Theodore Roosevelt to become a conservationist. With the ownership label "R.B. Roosevelt/ 26 East 20th Street/ New York" attached to the verso on one print. Cohen-De Ricci 1012-1013. Cordier Bibliotheca Sinica 641-642. Fünf Jahrhunderte Buchillustration 141. Brunet V 1178. P. Pelliot "Les conquêtes de l'empereur de la Chine" T'oung Pao ed. H. Cordier & P. Pelliot vol 20 1921 pp. 183-274. Michèle Pirazzoli t'Serstevens Gravures de conquêtes de l'Empereur de la Chine Kien-Long au Musée Guimet 1969. Hartmut Walravens "The Introduction of Copper-Engraving into China" 62nd IFLA General Conference August 25-31 1996. unknown
réf. 92110001Edo 1750 Suharaya Mohei. Large folding map 170 x 200 cm. old mended worming rebackedpastel colors Japanese reprint of a map printed in Henan in 1679 folds down to be 21.5 x 25.5 cm. woodblock printed hand color. V E R Y R A R E ! . . AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE WALL-SIZE MAP OF CHINA . . EXECTED BY A SHAOLIN ZEN MASTER The Shaolin Xi Monastery/Temple is a Chán Zen Buddhist temple at Song Shan near Zheng Zhou City Henan Province in Dengfeng China. It was led by Venerable abbot Shi Yongxìn. founded in the 5th century the monastery has been famous for centuries its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu. It is also a Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the Western world. . The Shaolin Monastery and its famed Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng. Extracted from Wikipedia. . A RARE EDITION: Reprinted and published in Japan by Katsuragawa Hosan in 1750 reproduced from the Chinese original of Kangxi 27 1679. The original Chinese edition has been exceptionally obscure and impossible to come by for over the last two-hundred years and is believed now to be lost to posterity. . PRINTING TECHNIQUE AND THE PAPER: The work is woodblock printed by hand on hand-made Washi paper then hand-colored in delicate pastels. . CHINESE VIEW OF ANCIENT CHINA: This grand scale work covers a very large space and is quite handsome suitable for framing and display. The map shows a full view of all of China from the Great Wall in the North Shanghai the East coast down to the oceans in the South and Hainan Island and the coasts along he Eastern shores. This is a spectacular work showing each province in pastel colors with outlines large numbers of place names rivers & the major waterways mountains named and located. By and large inspired to show all of the known lands considered a part of China delineating the country and its exterior boundaries. . Japan and other islands are not shown but boxes with notes in Chinese as to their existence and location are well documented. The lower portion has text discussing the population of the various provinces and other notes. Areas beyond the traditional lines of China i.e.: North of the Great Wall and to . RARITY OF THE MAP AND ITS MAKERS: This grand-scale and truly spectacular work is virtually never found on the market. The Shaolin Monastery monks were the original founders of the celebrated and now famous Kung-fu martial art school located in Henan province. The priests were legendary and the most feared for their martial art prowess. They were also covert with their powerful political force in China. . SHAOLIN SI TEMPLE/MONASTERY LEGENDARY CUSTOMS: Priests who passed the highest level of Kung-fu martial art were invited to participate in a recognition ceremony. They were allowed to self-brand themselves by picking up a red-hot iron brazier that had long temple dragon decorations on the sides. The branding was accomplished by clamping the brazier between their forearms until the dragon image was branded on them. These brazier dragons are identical to the long dragon found at the top of this historic map. Another ancient practices used was the Jieba. It is an ancient ceremony where nine marks are burned onto the head with sticks of incense. In 2007 the Chinese government partially lifted the 300-year ban of the Jieba allowing the the mentally and physically prepared to participate in the ancient tradition. Incense or moxa was used on top of the shaved head and burned in a ceremony of dedication to the Shaolin Si temple/monastery by the most skilled of martial artists. WHY THE DRAGON SYMBOL WAS USED BY SHAOLIN MONKS: The top of the map show the dragon as a symbol of the Shaolin Si. In China the dragon is the first of twelve zodiac animals and is the most powerful of all and represents the ultimate and greatest of all powers known. It is also the one and only legendary animal in the zodiac the rest are actual animals. Because this map was conceived of carved and printed at the Shaolin Xi monastery or temple by these very priests they put the most powerful symbol at the top a dragon. The symbolic meaning indicated that China was superior to all other nations. It was also a private pun by the Shaolin priests indicating for all to see and know that the Shaolin temple and its priests were above all others. Additionally it reminded and indicated that the Shaolin priest were the most powerful martial artists and covert political force in all China. . RARITY: The original Chinese edition has been exceptionally obscure and impossible to come by for over the last two-hundred years and is believed now to be lost to posterity. Shaolin Si temple/monastery imprints are very R A R E ! Few references or examples exist of their woodblock printed works. This edition was a copy of the original re-carved by the Japanese and reissued. Not only is this map of great interest to Chan Zen Buddhists Shaolin Kung-fu collectors martial artists and historians but to students of Chinese cartography collectors and museums. . CONDITION: The map has been professionally re-backed in its distant past due to the large amount of old worming. It is now solid and stable. Because of the rarity of this work a complete map found in any condition would be now considered exceptionally R A R E ! Please review images posted to our website to observe the restored condition. . THE COVERS: The map has been rebound in non-original paper covers perhaps about 100 years ago. It is contained in a brown cloth Chuan Chitsu folding slipcase with ivory clasps cloth a bit faded one edge a bit worn else clean & solid. . THE SCANS: While we have made efforts to take good digital photographs and scans of our copy due to the exceptionally large size of the map these photos are not of the highest quality. We therefore are additionally using copies of this map from the Oda reference book illustrations as samples of what the map is like. Please note the following digital images are from Oda: cover.jpg illus08.jpg & illus12.jpg the balance are from our digital camera. . Any client who purchases this map may be interested in the Japanese text found in Oda. Upon request we are happy to provide a copy of his entry. . BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. Beans: A LIST OF JAPANESE MAPS OF THE TOKUGAWA ERA Supplement A on p.14 as #1750.1 with confirmation date of 1750. Beans gives this the title: "THE BEST COLLECTION OF ANCIENT AND MODERN WORKS CONCERNING THE HISTORICAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE DYNASTIES BY THE MONASTERY OF SHAO-LIN." T. Oda: THE WORLD IN JAPANESE MAPS UNTIL THE MID-19TH CENTURY p.52-53 item #24 for 2 excellent color examples. Oda shows the Japanese title: REKIDAI JISEKI ZU: HISTORICAL MAP OF CHINA reproduced from the Chinese original of 1679 by Katsuragawa Hosan 1750. Beautifully reproduced here in full color. Meir Shahar: The Xiaolin Monastery: History Religion and the Chinese Martial Arts. Wikipedia: cans of this and most items are posted to our web site. unknown
réf. 92110001Edo 1750 Suharaya Mohei. Large folding map 170 x 200 cm. old mended worming rebackedpastel colors Japanese reprint of a map printed in Henan in 1679 folds down to be 21.5 x 25.5 cm. woodblock printed hand color. V E R Y R A R E ! . . AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE WALL-SIZE MAP OF CHINA . . EXECTED BY A SHAOLIN ZEN MASTER The Shaolin Xi Monastery/Temple is a Chán Zen Buddhist temple at Song Shan near Zheng Zhou City Henan Province in Dengfeng China. It was led by Venerable abbot Shi Yongxìn. founded in the 5th century the monastery has been famous for centuries its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu. It is also a Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the Western world. . The Shaolin Monastery and its famed Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng. Extracted from Wikipedia. . A RARE EDITION: Reprinted and published in Japan by Katsuragawa Hosan in 1750 reproduced from the Chinese original of Kangxi 27 1679. The original Chinese edition has been exceptionally obscure and impossible to come by for over the last two-hundred years and is believed now to be lost to posterity. . PRINTING TECHNIQUE AND THE PAPER: The work is woodblock printed by hand on hand-made Washi paper then hand-colored in delicate pastels. . CHINESE VIEW OF ANCIENT CHINA: This grand scale work covers a very large space and is quite handsome suitable for framing and display. The map shows a full view of all of China from the Great Wall in the North Shanghai the East coast down to the oceans in the South and Hainan Island and the coasts along he Eastern shores. This is a spectacular work showing each province in pastel colors with outlines large numbers of place names rivers & the major waterways mountains named and located. By and large inspired to show all of the known lands considered a part of China delineating the country and its exterior boundaries. . Japan and other islands are not shown but boxes with notes in Chinese as to their existence and location are well documented. The lower portion has text discussing the population of the various provinces and other notes. Areas beyond the traditional lines of China i.e.: North of the Great Wall and to . RARITY OF THE MAP AND ITS MAKERS: This grand-scale and truly spectacular work is virtually never found on the market. The Shaolin Monastery monks were the original founders of the celebrated and now famous Kung-fu martial art school located in Henan province. The priests were legendary and the most feared for their martial art prowess. They were also covert with their powerful political force in China. . SHAOLIN SI TEMPLE/MONASTERY LEGENDARY CUSTOMS: Priests who passed the highest level of Kung-fu martial art were invited to participate in a recognition ceremony. They were allowed to self-brand themselves by picking up a red-hot iron brazier that had long temple dragon decorations on the sides. The branding was accomplished by clamping the brazier between their forearms until the dragon image was branded on them. These brazier dragons are identical to the long dragon found at the top of this historic map. Another ancient practices used was the Jieba. It is an ancient ceremony where nine marks are burned onto the head with sticks of incense. In 2007 the Chinese government partially lifted the 300-year ban of the Jieba allowing the the mentally and physically prepared to participate in the ancient tradition. Incense or moxa was used on top of the shaved head and burned in a ceremony of dedication to the Shaolin Si temple/monastery by the most skilled of martial artists. WHY THE DRAGON SYMBOL WAS USED BY SHAOLIN MONKS: The top of the map show the dragon as a symbol of the Shaolin Si. In China the dragon is the first of twelve zodiac animals and is the most powerful of all and represents the ultimate and greatest of all powers known. It is also the one and only legendary animal in the zodiac the rest are actual animals. Because this map was conceived of carved and printed at the Shaolin Xi monastery or temple by these very priests they put the most powerful symbol at the top a dragon. The symbolic meaning indicated that China was superior to all other nations. It was also a private pun by the Shaolin priests indicating for all to see and know that the Shaolin temple and its priests were above all others. Additionally it reminded and indicated that the Shaolin priest were the most powerful martial artists and covert political force in all China. . RARITY: The original Chinese edition has been exceptionally obscure and impossible to come by for over the last two-hundred years and is believed now to be lost to posterity. Shaolin Si temple/monastery imprints are very R A R E ! Few references or examples exist of their woodblock printed works. This edition was a copy of the original re-carved by the Japanese and reissued. Not only is this map of great interest to Chan Zen Buddhists Shaolin Kung-fu collectors martial artists and historians but to students of Chinese cartography collectors and museums. . CONDITION: The map has been professionally re-backed in its distant past due to the large amount of old worming. It is now solid and stable. Because of the rarity of this work a complete map found in any condition would be now considered exceptionally R A R E ! Please review images posted to our website to observe the restored condition. . THE COVERS: The map has been rebound in non-original paper covers perhaps about 100 years ago. It is contained in a brown cloth Chuan Chitsu folding slipcase with ivory clasps cloth a bit faded one edge a bit worn else clean & solid. . THE SCANS: While we have made efforts to take good digital photographs and scans of our copy due to the exceptionally large size of the map these photos are not of the highest quality. We therefore are additionally using copies of this map from the Oda reference book illustrations as samples of what the map is like. Please note the following digital images are from Oda: cover.jpg illus08.jpg & illus12.jpg the balance are from our digital camera. . Any client who purchases this map may be interested in the Japanese text found in Oda. Upon request we are happy to provide a copy of his entry. . BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. Beans: A LIST OF JAPANESE MAPS OF THE TOKUGAWA ERA Supplement A on p.14 as #1750.1 with confirmation date of 1750. Beans gives this the title: "THE BEST COLLECTION OF ANCIENT AND MODERN WORKS CONCERNING THE HISTORICAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE DYNASTIES BY THE MONASTERY OF SHAO-LIN." T. Oda: THE WORLD IN JAPANESE MAPS UNTIL THE MID-19TH CENTURY p.52-53 item #24 for 2 excellent color examples. Oda shows the Japanese title: REKIDAI JISEKI ZU: HISTORICAL MAP OF CHINA reproduced from the Chinese original of 1679 by Katsuragawa Hosan 1750. Beautifully reproduced here in full color. Meir Shahar: The Xiaolin Monastery: History Religion and the Chinese Martial Arts. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Monastery Color scans of this and most items are posted to our web site. . hardcover books
1920réf. 175010China: c. 1920s - 1980s. A golden age of advertising An expansive collection showcasing the evolution and adaptation of visual marketing in China between the 1920s and 1980s including the creation of the "modern girl" image the sinicization of western aesthetics and the survival of Republican-era imagery in communist contexts. Commercial messages are conveyed in a variety of formats including calendars wrappers and packets posters flyers and brochures while others are clipped from magazines. The products advertised include consumer goods such as cigarettes Hatamen Qianmen Golden Road medicines Hong Ren Dan and fireworks Yick Loong as well as agricultural products and fertilizers BM & Co. pencils alarm clocks and fountain pens. Many are rich in colour and call on cultural tropes and touchpoints including elements of traditional culture. The collection represents the high standard of printing executed in Shanghai and other commercial centres especially in the interwar period. Many examples in this collection are targeted towards female consumers. Chinese and foreign advertising agencies quickly recognized that urban women emerging as a wealthy and more independent social group in the early 20th century were both a key market for example for cigarettes and an important marketing tool. From the 1950s onwards these urbane female figures give way to imagery emphasizing socialist and working-class credentials. Provenance: the collection was acquired by a private collector in Shanghai in the mid-1990s and has been in the US for the past three decades. It is offered here for the first time. Approximately 450 items in varying sizes up to 330 x 230 mm with a few duplicates the majority colour lithographs on paper. Predominantly in Chinese with occasional English and Russian. Generally in bright condition the odd tape repair some items with notations and mimeograph printing on verso where later repurposed: a very good collection of fragile material. unknown
réf. 90438Various places 1764-1914. . Collection of 15 titles in 18 vols. Extensive collection of Russian works focusing mostly on Northern China and Mongolia including important and rare travel trade and exploration accounts. Assembled by Angus Ivan Ward us consul in China and Russia during troubled times and ambassador in Afghanistan. Ward 1893-1969 served in the U.S. Army during World War I and then became U.S. Vice Consul in Mukden China in 1926; then in Tientsin in 1927-29 and again in 1932. He was sent to Moscow in 1938 and served as U.S. Consul General in Vladivostok during WWII in 1943. Before becoming U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan in 1952-56 he was back in Mukden as Consul in 1948 where he became the subject of the Ward Incident 1948-49. During the final years of the Chinese Civil War Ward and the consulate staff were imprisoned and held under house arrest by Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army for almost a year creating a diplomatic rift with the United States. Ward's collection is remarkable for its wide range comprising 150 years of Russian approach to China and their neighbouring region Mongolia before the Russian revolution. Including important as well as lesser works most in first editions and all rarely found on the market the collection not only presents an excellent panorama of Russian exploration of the region but also allows a rare understanding of the commercial and diplomatic relations between these two giant states. It is completed by scholarly works on local languages and cultures. Although Russian envoys and merchants were visiting and residing in Mongolia and China in the 17th century printed accounts of the relations between these countries became available to Russian readers only in the mid 18th century. At first they were Russian translations of works by Chinese authors such as An Account of the Chinese Mission to the Kalmyk Khan on the Volga in 1714 and Their Journey through Russia by Tulishen 16671741 which describes in detail the first official diplomatic mission of China to a European State. This early and important work later published in English by Staunton himself is represented here by a fine example of the first edition in Russian. One of the first Russian scholars of China is the celebrated and prolific monk Iakinf Bichurin 1777-1853. Leader of the 9th Russian Mission to Peking he spent 14 years in China learning the language and exploring the region. His Notes on Mongolia 1828 illustrated with fine hand-coloured plates is the first fundamental study of Mongolia by a Russian sinologist. When Bichurin's mission left Beijing the smooth transition with the new mission was under the control of the diplomat Egor Timkovskiy 1790-1875. His 3-volume Travels through Mongolia to China in the years 1820 and 1821 1824 became the first significant travel account of a Russian to China collecting material on Eastern Turkestan Mongolia Tibet China and Korea. The 1860 Beijing agreement ending the Second Opium War brought a new turn to the Russian exploration of the region. It was the result of Russian diplomatic efforts to facilitate negotiations between China on one side and Britain and France on the other and it allowed the establishment of a permanent Russian diplomatic presence in Beijing. The negotiations and Russia's role are described in detail in Baron Buksgevden's Russian China 1902. The last quarter of the 19th century was the most fruitful period for Russian exploration and the Ward collection includes some of the most important accounts published at that time. Due to an extension of the Great Game to the East many scientific Russian expeditions to Tibet and China were subsidized by the Russian Imperial Geographical Society with often a hidden agenda focusing on mapping the region and gathering intelligence data. An excellent example is given by Mikhail Pevtsov 1843-1902 a Russian army officer and student of Nikolay Przhevalskiy. His Account of a Travel around Mongolia and Northern Provinces of Continental China 1883 mapped unknown parts of Mongolia and Inner China which he discovered during his 1878-79 exploration. Similarly a generation later another military Vasiliy Novitskiy published an account on central Mongolia 1911 accompanied by fifteen accurate and detailed maps of the region. One of the most famous Russian explorers of the region is Grigoriy Potanin 1835-1920 who conducted eight expeditions to Mongolia Tibet and China with some of them lasting up to two years. The present collection includes his rare and fundamental 2-volume study of Central Mongolia and the Eastern border of China published in 1893 to which Ward added a scarce volume of articles by Alexandra Potanina 1843-93 Potanin's wife and the first woman to be accepted as a member of the Russian Geographical Society. A diplomat himself Ward extended his interest to the economic and diplomatic relations between Russia China and Mongolia. Exploration missions were indeed often useful to trade missions organized by the largest Russian trading companies trying to find new routes to the East and to understand the legal and economic aspects of trading in the region. Fascinating accounts were published including for example an Expedition to China in 1874-75 by Yu. Sosnovskiy 1883 Notes the Russian-Mongolian Trade by M. Bogolepov 1911 and Moscow Trade Mission to Mongolia by V. Popov 1912. Ward was a bibliophile and took great care of his purchases. All books are in excellent fresh condition and except the very rare Timkovskiy they are all complete with maps and illustrations. They have been bound in the mid 20th century in a uniform dark burgundy or brown colour in full cloth or in a quality half calf for the most important works except a couple of books such as the Tulishen which is in contemporary Russian half calf. During the binding work the maps were usually professionally laid on linen and carefully stored at the back of each volume in a pocket specially made. Most of the books bear Angus Ward's bookplate on the upper pastedown; some have supplementary earlier provenances. The full collection comprises the following titles. A detailed description of each with notes is available on request. 1. - - . TULIEN Larion Kalinovich ROSSOKHIN translator Gerhard Friedrich MILLER publisher. 1714 . ' '. An Account of the Chinese Mission to the Kalmyk Khan Ayuk on the Volga in 1714 and their Journey through Russia. Published in 'Monthly Essays on Scientific Affairs'. Imper. Akad. Nauk Skt. Peterburg 1764. A lovely fresh example of this early account of the Chinese mission to the Kalmyk Khanate - the first Russian edition of the first diplomatic mission to China to a European state according to the sinologist Mikhail Kapitsa. In the beginning of the 18th century the Kalmyk khanate situated in the South-East of the Russian Empire enjoyed autonomy in managing its domestic and foreign affairs. Ayuka Khan had a considerable authority both within the khanate and abroad and the Russian government relied on his military support to protect the borders of the Empire and make allies with the Asian states. The Tulien's mission was pre-approved by Peter the Great and aimed at forming a military union against the Dzungar Khanate. Originally published in Beijing in 1723 in Chinese and Manchurian this account became known in Europe thanks to the French translation issued in 1729. In 1732 a scientist of a German origin based in Saint Petersburg and the publisher of the "Ezhemesiachnye sochineniya" "Monthly essays" Gerard Miller issued his German translation of the account. Miller however didn't fully trust the accuracy of the French text on which he based his German translation; he wished to use a Russian translation based directly on the Chinese or Manchurian original. Miller's goal was achieved when he discovered a Russian translation of the travel account done by Larion Rossokhin a knowledgeable translator from Chinese and Manchurian and a resident at the Imperial Academy of Sciences. He resided in China for many years and had a chance to work with the original Manchurian text. Before passing away in 1761 Rossokhin left all his documents and translations to the Academy of Sciences including the unpublished translation of the Tulien's work which Miller tracked down. For clarity Miller supplied his own notes and comments in addition to those of Rossokhin. Description and Bibliographical references: July 1764: title 96 pp.; August 1764: title 99192 pp.; September 1764: title 195-288 pp.; October 1764: title 291-384 pp.; November 1764: title 387-480 pp.; December 1764: title 481-576 pp. An account of the Chinese mission: pp. 3-48; 99-150; 195-234; 291-353; 387-427; missing upper fly leaf and small part of title page with no loss of text light spotting throughout. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards two red calf labels to spines; corners slightly bumped. 2. TIMKOVSKIY EGOR. 1820 1821 Travels through Mongolia to China in the years 1820 and 1821. Tip. meditsinskogo dep. Ministerstva vnutrennikh del Sankt Peterburg 1824. First edition very rare. For several decades after its publication this account remained the most comprehensive and reliable source of information about the region and was subsequently translated into English German and French. In 1820 Egor Timkovskiy 1790-1785 writer diplomat and a Privy Councillor was entrusted to accompany a new Russian mission to Beijing led by Archimandrite Petr Kamenskiy. On the way back to Russia he was to ensure a safe return of the 9th mission headed by Iakinf Bichurin who spent 12 years fulfilling his duties in Beijing. Timkovskiy set off from Kiakhta in August 1820 and returned a year later having stayed in Beijing for 9 months. He used this time to explore geography history and culture of the region and subsequently published his findings in 1824 upon the Imperial order. The first volume of his work follows the caravan route between Kiakhta and Beijing; the second one provides an overview of China Eastern Turkistan Tibet and Korea; and the third one is dedicated entirely to the description of history geography religion as well as political and economical organization of Mongolia. 3 vols 8vo 22.3 x 14.5 cm. Half-title engr. title letterpress title XVIII 388 pp. with 1 folding plan and a map laid on linen and inserted in pocket at rear ; Half-title frontispiece letterpress title 8pp. 409 pp. with 2 facsimile 1 plate and a folding plan plan laid on linen and inserted in pocket at rear; Title 6 433 2 37 4pp. with 3 plates; lacking pp. 159-160 frontispiece and a plate in vol 3 small light marginal waterstain to some ll. in vol. 1 and 2 title and p. IX in vol. 1 with neat marginal repair not affecting text. Later half calf over maroon cloth gilt lettering to upper covers and spine exlibris of Ward to upper pastedowns. Provenance: Nikolay Kolchin owner's inscription to half-title in vol. II Rayskiy's library at the theologival seminary of Tambov ink stamp to title of vol. II. 3. FAR EAST BICHURIN Monakh Iakinf. Notes on Mongolia. Skt. Peterburg 1828. A lovely fresh copy of a rare book illustrated with hand-coloured plates by one of the major Russian scholars on China. Bichurin 1777-1853 was named in 1805 leader of the 9th Russian Mission to Peking and head of the Sretenskiy monastery in this town. During his 14-year stay he learnt Chinese compiled his own dictionary and prepared other scholar works for later publication. The first volume of the present work gives an account of the journey and the second volume a detailed examination of the geographical and political condition of the Mongols and their life and customs. 2 vols in one 8vo 20.5 x 13.2 cm. xii 231pp. with 5 hand-coloured lithographed plates; vi 339 pp. folding engraved map with hand-coloured outlines laid on linen and inserted in pocket at rear; occasional marginal notes in pencil. Later half calf over maroon cloth boards gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. Obolyaninov 1027. 4. . ORLOV A. - Mongolian-Buryat grammar. Gladysheva Kazan 1878. 8vo 25 x 16 cm. Title X 265 VI pp; light marginal waterstain to several pages at rear traces of removed label on title. Later calf over maroon cloth boards gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. 5. PEVTSOV M.V. . Account of the Travel around Mongolia and the Northern Provinces of the Inner China. Omsk 1883. First edition of this travel account describing unknown parts of Mongolia and inner China. Mikhail Pevtsov 1843-1902 a young Russian army officer devoted traveler and student of Nikolay Przhevalskiy went with a caravan of merchants from Bijsk to Kalgan and back through the Southern Altai Mongolia and Gobi Desert thoroughly mapping the territory of altogether about four thousand kilometers. His detailed account covers the region's terrain rivers lakes brief history of its settlements; and characterizes local trade and animal productions. The large folding map of Mongolia clearly delineates the main geographical points of the territory between Irkutsk in the north Peking in the south and Lake Zaysan modern Kazakhstan in the west. A 20-pp. extract was published earlier in Izvestija Imperatorskogo Russkogo Geograficheskogo Obschesctva 1880 Vol 16. issue 5 pp. 435-457. Provenance: E.I. Yakushkin important historian and ethnographer with a library of about 15000 volumes 1826-1905 stamps to wrapper and title; Library of Shanyavskiy University Moscow stamps to wrapper and title. Title 2 IV 354 2 pp. with folding map of Mongolia laid on linen and inserted in pocket at rear; library stamps to title and upper wrapper. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to spine original wrappers bound in ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. Cf. for Yakushkin: Ivask IIp. 96. 6. SOSNOVSKIY Y.A. 1874-75 . Expedition to China in the years 1874-75. Ivanov Moskva 1883. An account compiled by the Ukrainian born Colonel Sosnovskiy 1842-1895 who headed the 1874-75 expedition to China aimed at finding new land routes to Chinese trade markets. Among other tasks set by the Russian government the expedition was to evaluate opportunities for expanding trade with China find most favourable locations for Russian consulates and fabrics and also collect intelligence information on the Dungan revolt taking place in the Eastern regions of the country. The expedition resulted in establishing a new route to China which was 1600 versts shorter than the one used before. In the mid 1870s still weakened after Russo-Japanese war the Russian Empire concentrated its geopolitical interests in Asia. Its activity in Central Asia and attempts to create spheres of influence in Tibet and China brought Russia on the brick of war with England which was itself aiming to dominate in the region. Both countries were actively conducting military intelligence in China considering it a possible future war arena. At that point Russian Empire sent multiple missions to Mongolia China and Tibet with most of them being headed by officers of the General headquarters. Sosnovskiy headed two such expeditions. His account of the 1874-75 mission first appeared in the Izvestia Russkogo Imperatorskogo Obshchestva 1876 vol 12 issues 1 2 3 5 6 with the offered example being the first edition in the book form. Title V 894 II pp. with large folding map of China laid on linen and inserted in pocket at rear; lacking pp. 141-2 instead bound duplicate of pp. 189-190 ink stamp and inventory number to title light occasional spotting. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. 7. POTANIN Grigoriy Nikolaevich. - Tangut-Tibetan border of China and Central Mongolia. Skt. Peterburg Suvorin 1893. An account of the two years expedition led by the famous Russian explorer and scientist Potanin 1835 - 1920 to the territories on the border of China and Tibet. Apart from Potanin himself the expedition of 1884-6 included his wife ethnographer Alexandra topographer A. Skassi and zoologist M. Berezovskiy. The group travelled from Beijing through two northern Chinese provinces to arrive in Gansu in 1884. Having spent a year researching the territories on the Eastern border of Tibet they travelled back to Russia in 1886 through Nanshan district and Central Mongolia. This work presents richly illustrated material collected during the expedition including geography ethnography and zoology of the region. 2 vols 4to 29 x 22.5 cm. Title XVIII 657 XVIII 2 pp. with 42 photogravures and 3 maps incl. 2 large folding laid on linen and inserted in pocket at rear; Frontispiece title XII 437 XIX pp. Later half calf over maroon cloth gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedowns; very slightly rubbed. 8. DEKEN Constant de. A Travers l'Asie. Polleunis et Ceuterick Bruxelles 1894. 8vo 22.6 x 16.4 cm. XI including title 367 pp. with 30 plates and 1 folding map; some light occasional spotting. Contemporary brown cloth gilt lettering to spine; traces of a removed label on upper pastedown. 9. POTANINA A.V. : . Travels around Eastren Siberia Mongolia Tibet and China: collection of articles. Moskva Gerbek 1895. A posthumous publication of the complete collection of articles including the unpublished ones by Potanina 1843 - 1893 a famous explorer of Asia and the first women to be accepted as a member of the Russian Geographical Society. Along with her husband Grigoriy Potanin who made a very significant contribution to the research of Central Asia she took part in four expeditions to the region researching ethnography geography and economy of Mongolia Tibet and Inner China. 8vo 24.5 x 17 cm. Frontispiece title 4 XLII 296 pp. 5 lithographed plates incl. 3 in colour. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to spine and upper cover ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown; extremities of spine slightly rubbed. 10. . BUKSGEVDEN Baron A. : 1860 . Russian China: notes on the diplomatic relations between Russia and China The Convention of Peking of 1860. Noviy Kray Port Artur 1902. The publication of this work was triggered by the events in China in 1900 when the massive rebellion against foreign intervention in Chinese provinces resulted in extensive violent attacks on foreigners official missions and Christian monuments. To protect their interests German American British and Russian forces advanced on Beijing and put an end to the rebellion which was supported by the Chinese government. The author found the developments of 1900 to have direct connection to the ones that took place 40 years before when at the culmination of the Second Opium War the British and French troops entered the Forbidden City in Beijing. Reflecting on these events Baron Buksgevden describes the diplomatic efforts of the Russian representative Ignatiev in 1860 to facilitate the negotiations between China on one side and Britain and France on the other and their successful outcome for the Russian Empire. The editor was planning to continue the work with description of the events of 1900 in China but the second part was never published. Small 4to 21.5 x 15.5 cm. Title 2 II 2 III 239 pp. Later maroon cloth binding gilt lettering to spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. 11. TSYBIKOV G.Ts. - - : Guide to the stages of the Path to Awakening. Vostochniy institut Vladivostok 1910 1913. The first translation into a European language of the first part of this important text on Indian Buddhism in a scholar edition with text in Mongolian and in Russian with many linguistic notes. The 'Guide to the stages of the Path to Awakening' is the main work of the great Tibetan religious leader Tsongkhapa 1357-1419 which outlines the ideas of Buddhism in the form of a guide and describes the stages of the path of spiritual development up to the achievement of full awakening. Tsybikov 1873-1930 an explorer ethnographer and orientalist was one of the first foreigners to travel in Tibet where he secretly conducted research and recorded his journey in photographs. During his travels he obtained Mongolian texts of Lam-Rim from which he wrote a translation into Russian. According to Tsybikov only the first part of Tsongkhapa's work was available in Mongolian at that time. Two issues bound in 1 vol. 8vo 22.8 x 16.3 cm. 8 pp. incl. title XLVIII 312 pp. 2; 10 pp. incl. title XLI 294 II pp. Later half calf over maroon cloth gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown; spine very slightly rubbed. 12. . . . BOGOLEPOV M.I. and M.N. SOBOLEV. - Notes on the Russian-Mongolian Trade. Sibirskoe tov. pechatnogo dela Tomsk 1911. An account of the expedition organized by Tomsk Society of the Siberia Research independently of the Moscow Trade Mission that was initiated in 1910. The expedition was subsidized by the three largest companies trading with Mongolia and aimed at researching all aspects of the Mongolian trade system including its legal and economic aspects. 8vo 26.6 x 18 cm. Title VII 498 2 pp. with 20 photoengravings on 10 plates and 1 folding map pasted on linen and inserted in pocket at rear. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. 13. NOVITSKIY V.F. - - - 1906 Travels around Mongolia in 1906. Voenneya tipografiya Skt.Peterburg 1911. After the end of the Russo-Japanese war the Russian troops in Manchuria where Colonel Novitskiy served where awaiting relocation that was not promising to take place soon. Therefore it was not difficult for Novitskiy to receive a permission to explore the neighbouring Mongolia in the meantime. During his expedition which was partly sponsored by the Imperial Geographical Society Novitskiy meticulously recorded his geographical and meteorological observations as well as specimens of flora and fauna that he encountered. The account also greatly benefits from the enclosed fifteen accurate maps of the region and expedition routes compiled by Novitskiy. Large 8vo 27.7 x 17.6 cm. IV including title 400 pp. with 15 folding maps all pasted on linen and inserted in pocket at rear; traces of old tape to inner margin of several leaves small marginal loss to the general map of expedition route in Mongolia. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to spine and upper cover ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown; extremities of spine slightly rubbed. 14. . . . POPOV V.L. and others. Mo Moscow Trade Mission to Mongolia. Riabushinskiy Moskva 1912. An account compiled by the participants of the trade mission initiated at the meeting of the Russian industrialists and entrepreneurs in 1910. The expedition was headed by the colonel Popov and included representatives of the biggest trade companies such as V. Shkarin K. Koliadov I. Morozov and others. In Mongolia the group studied stock raising production of fur local banking and trade systems as well as the country's geographical political and administrative characteristics. Large 8vo 27 x 18.8 cm.Title 2 353 pp. with 35 photoengr. and lith. plates and folding map pasted on linen. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown. 15. RUDNEV A.D. - : 1 2 3 Khori-Buryat dialect: issues 1 2 and 3. Petrograd 1913 1914. 8vo. 10 pp incl. title CXX; title 128 2 pp.; title 135 2pp. 4 pp. advert. Later maroon cloth gilt lettering to upper cover and spine ex libris of Ward to upper pastedown original upper wrappers of three issues bound in extremities of spine slightly rubbed. Provenance: Library of the Oriental Institute stamps to upper wrapper and titles. [Various places, 1764-1914]. hardcover
réf. LCS-18417Cette carte murale de la Chine est extrêmement rare. Elle fut exécutée par un maître zen de Shaolin. Datée : 寛延庚午, Kanen, année du cheval = Kanen 3, 1750. Édité par l'érudit de la dynastie Qing Lu Yunhan, 呂君翰, publié par Suwaraya Mohei, 須原屋茂兵, à Edo. Couverture originale en papier bleu, conservée dans un étui à décor floral [21 x 30,5 cm]. 181,5 x 168,5 cm
réf. 86939Early nineteenth century. . Album 24.5 x 13.5 cm; 70 watercolours on paper many heightened with gold MS inscriptions to each watercolour MS title in Traditional Chinese to endpaper ownership inscription in pen to pastedown; orange endpapers cloth boards cover detached ff coming detached from spine housed in a modern green calf-backed solander box spine lettered in gilt. A fine collection of Qing dynasty watercolours depicting deities and immortals from Chinese folk religion incorporating elements from Confucianism Buddhism and Taoism. Each image caption in manuscript in Traditional Chinese. Early nineteenth century]. hardcover
1868réf. 22674Vers 1868 in-4 oblong demi-chagrin havane, tranches dorées [Rel. de l'époque], qqs piqûres, marginales pour la plupart
réf. 25054401China n.d. ca. 1927-1928. Brown simulated alligator cloth covers 37 x 27.5 cm. black pages spine ribbon-tied ca. 400 b.w. photos corner mounted images very good sharp and clear images NOT fadedsolidnicely done. V E R Y R A R E ! . . SUPERB PHOTO ALBUM OF THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR: . . Beginning of The Communist Party led led by Mao Tse-tung . . V.S. the Kuomintang KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party . Led by Chiang Kai Shek. . The United States Supported the KMT. In this album we see how the KMT soldiers hosted the American Army in China using their trains and military bases throughout China. This unusual album contains 400 original b. w. photographs & and is an historic photographic record of American military deployment showing Dough-boys in China probably from the U.S. Army's 2nd. Battalion 15th. infantry per the flag and insignia found on a group formation photograph. A minority are with written captions by and large taken by the person who made the album also enhanced with a small percent of professional Chinese photos some of which have in-negative captions. There are ca. 3 or so photos missing else completely filling 32 pages or 64 sides one on the inside back cover. The inside of the front cover has five attractive period color luggage type adverts from various hotels: Hotel Lankershim & Coast Line Military & Naval Hotel San Francisco Cal; The Court Hotel Tientsin North China; Grand Hotel des Wagons Litz; Astor House Hotel Ltd. Tientsin. The album begins with photos of a Chinese playing a Pi-pa snake skin banjo then there are three other photos: first two show a Chinese military camouflage train engine from which a Yank soldier in his campaign hat descends and a long train of cars with a large howitzer mounted upon one last shows French troops at parade rest with their rifles and white gloves and crested helmets with anchors naval or marines with others in the background with some officers. The next two pages show Chinese coolies swing a basket from the creek top water a field a mother suckling her baby with her family at the farm a large water tower in the wet slums and a group of Doughboys at attention in formation they wear boots leggings chrome World War I type dress helmets a rifle back pack with bayonet cartridge pouch belts with green wool hip-length jackets. The opposite page shows another view of the Chinese military train a pair of large mounted guns on an armored train car. To the right is a Chinese officer pointing to a large pierced hole in the train with a foreign engineer peering out from the small window. The train sports the Republic of China flag with a Chinese military unit flag painted on the side. Another view shows a group of abandoned Chinese coffins that went to the dogs; a group of soldiers in garrison caps at attention with fixed bayonets as the officers salute someone near the person taking the photo some Chinese officers also present. Next 2 pages show Chinese on a wheel barrow some Japanese women by a pond in Kimono and a group of British troops from their colonial Empire: blacks Indians white trumpeter Chinese and others with musical instruments all wear white cork-type pith helmets. A group of Japanese officers mugging for the camera. Photos of the railhead and large number of Chinese troops with rifles and kit at the railway station some on march carrying their flags others in open box cars with touring cars that are on the move another of camouflaged armored train cars one shows a number of foreign soldiers looking out of a train car window some are with tiny embossed stamp at right corner: "Mei Lee Tien Tsin." The album continues with a mixture of images of civilian Chinese Chinese military their trains moving air planes weapons war refugees in tents military views of barbed wire fortifications trenches machine gunners Russian soldiers Chinese officers Chinese air force funerals rickshaw pullers camel trains captured & wounded prisoners foreign soldiers at their sand-bagged posts. Photos of the great wall magnificent Chinese architectural monuments buildings and pagodas religious icons coffins more coffins mortars & Chinese junks and a plethora of others. The American Consulate General's compound in Tientsin American military band welcoming the newly arrived replacement troops. A large photo group shot of the American officers seated for a memorial photograph with their Battalion flag proudly posted on the wall where they pose source of our citation at the top of the unit name; two buglers are at each outside position the commander is ram-rod straight and taller than all others seated in the front & center; he and only two others on his sides wear full leather knee boots probably indicating the highest ranking officers; others are in boots & leggings. Photos of Doughboys aboard a ship showing the Naval officers with one stunning photo of an American high officer with his Japanese & Chinese counter parts posing for the camera. And a photo of the "Mail Boat Gazun Panama" and a few others of Panama giving credence to the fact that some of these soldiers came from the American East coast via Panama to San Francisco then on to China. Nice photo of semi-nude Panamanian family men women children. Doughboys at target practice photos of Chinese poverty coolies pulling great loads and street vendors. More showing Chinese life style street life horse & bullock carts and yet more caskets left in the open unburied and abandoned train cars full of horses Chinese troops smoke rising from a burning city another with "Tian jin" written in Chinese catholic church more parading of American soldiers within the Tientsin American Consulate parade grounds trooping of the colors. And a nice photo of the "U.S. Army Transport Thomas" Chinese junk &c. A U.S. soldier in a necktie his rifle at fixed bayonet at parade-rest before the Consulate General compound with sand bags inside a photo of a U.S. soldier with his Colt-45 on his hip with canteen looking at some communications connections another photo of two mini U.S. tanks and a very long bridge over the water. Photo of the Tientsin downtown with a Sikh Indian policeman directing traffic. Next page shows a public Chinese street execution: the guilty on his knees with the executioner ready to swing a very large sword and another headless corpse is before him the Tientsin YMCA compound opposite which is likely the inside of the American Consulate offices showing very ancient typewriters and three women staff and one other female Navy person. They all mug for the camera with a good number of U.S. Army or Marine officers behind three desks. Chinese hauling "magnum gold" brand ammunition on hand- trucks a U.S. Army band performing before the Consulate's office. At this point we find a few photos with penned captions: "One of China's Department Stores it shows a bird vendor; Peanut Gambler a mountain of P-nuts; Chinese Shimboo photo of the office and maker of the album and his Chinese officer friend ; "A Chinese Taxi" shows him in a Rickshaw "Me and the boy friend 11/3/28" shows a tiny goat cart carrying a child's coffin with a Chinese man. This penned date gives substantial proof of the date range of the entire album which was placed about the center of the whole work. The next page shows two more penned captions: "Chinese cavalry" and "Note mud house and fence" shows two Chinese officers on horse-back and a very very poor house with very starved animals. The next shows six Chinese undercover men two each holding a Chinese being readied for execution; and a very grizzly photo of a Chinese officer actually executing a Chinese man with his pistol who is seated on a rock: the photo captures the action as the shot blows away the mans brains. Behind the execution scene is a crowd of American soldiers in campaign hats and Chinese military officers who are witness to the event. More views of Chinese street life vendors pullers haulers & horse carts religious icons and a stunning Chinese roofed gate more Chinese troops on the move via train with a very horrible view of a large number of dead Chinese in the muddy filthy waters by a bridge. Homeless Chinese at a "soup kitchen" war refugees hauling their belongings house boat street barbers a group of 7 photos by the ocean. They show American soldiers at leisure looking at Chinese fishermen nets naked fishermen hauling in a net of fish to the beach a burning waterfront village the jetty where several large American transport ships are at anchor and a great assembly of Yankee soldiers on the beach with duffel bags and their gear at the railhead. The last photo shows a great number of various whisky bottles lined up for display. More photos show a coffin maker large coffin basket seller and "chow" sellers on the street. A military formation of 100's of either Scottish or Irish soldiers with fixed bayonets marching down the main street before the "RNC Electricity Dept." below which is a very long line of British soldiers on one side of the street opposite from a good number of American soldiers who are on the side of the street a British Union Jack flies over a castle-like structure this is clearly some kind of grand military parade. More photos of the Great Wall the military parade and army chaplains with an Australia flag flying over another castle tower. Chinese river scene with large numbers of native boats in a canal a beggar's camp with straw -mat tents a canal crossing ferry for people a photo of a U.S. officer stand on top a wooden coffin for a closer look. More poverty-stricken Chinese haulers fortune tellers graves tethered horses log sawyers rice haulers electric trolley with English and Chinese language sign on the roof panorama post card of Shanghai's Bund. The album now shifts to photos of the Peking area. Shows the Ming tombs and the camel-lined road; military train the Americans were transported by that train a large bivouac and tent city where the U. S. military troops camped some Chinese "house boys" proudly holding the American troop's unit flag. More photos of two U.S. soldiers posing near Chinese coffins in a wet ditch. A group of very young Chinese boys posed near the railroad; one is so poor that he has no clothes at all and is in nude. A large group of Nationalist Chinese soldiers marching along a street one classic photo of a single American soldier on guard standing at attention as stands vigil on a barbed-wire barrier his rifle at fixed bayonet. A group of five Chinese young "ladies" who pose for the camera who seemed NOT to be bewildered by the photographer they look like "Sing-song girls" hookers who entertained the U.S. troops. Chinese Buddhist priests in white robes with shaved heads a great gate to Peking Shanghai harbor views shanty huts captured Chinese criminal or traitor guarded by Chinese soldiers train car full of rifles more Chinese soldiers on trains marching in formation on the road. And a good photo of several American officers: one with a whip posing for the camera in garrison hat. Chinese bivouac and American soldiers with bullet and pouches for ammo with rifles at parade rest. More barbed-wire barricades Chinese & British soldiers armored train-mounted gun. More Chinese prisoners traitors being executed heads hoisted on power poles in baskets as a form of public warning and display for other would-be traitors. An American tent bivouac camp at the train yard two more public exec executions by beheading at the moment of loosing one's head an executed dead man lying in the street. Photos of Peking's Forbidden City a Chinese hung to death from a tree a Yank soldier in overalls carries a Chinese bamboo "yoke" with two baskets and smokes a pipe while Chinese look on and laugh. Two photos of lines of Rickshaws waiting for passengers. One comic photo with negative caption: "Find the Chinaman;" it shows two American soldiers sitting among Chinese. Nice shot of the Summer Palace Peking and a U.S. soldier riding in a Rickshaw. The very last photo inside the back cover shows the whole battalion dressed up wearing their chrome helmets standing at attention in formation for a classic and most historic memorial photograph. Their commanding officer is front and center; all have their rifles ammo belts and very polished boots with back packs. They could be standing in the Tientsin American Consulate compound grounds. Followed by a few other photos of Chinese a Chinese soldier et al. This work shows the typical things seen in China during this period of political and military chaos. The feuding war lords and political parties at war; the landing of American military to protect American diplomatic interests. Support & assistance given to the Americans and other foreign military groups by the Nationalist Chinese army. The desperate situation of the tragic Chinese people caught in the grips of upheaval and the summary punishment of traitors in a public display of the swift and ruthless law of China. A riveting and most compelling true record of a U.S. military officer's sojourn to and deployment in China. THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND THE SIZE OF PHOTOGRAPHS: This is not a professional group of photographs but there a very small amount which were obviously purchased by the maker of the album and inserted. The vast majority are his personal photographs these again are obvious to anyone who looks at the album. This is an excellent example of private work of an unknown American Army officer stationed in China during a very chaotic period. He was interested in recording for posterity his experiences and the sights that he saw while on duty. We thank him for giving us privy to this slice of American and Chinese military history. SIZE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS: The size varies considerably sizes in cm.: the smallest are 8 x 5 most are 14 x 9 3 larger photos 24.5 x 18 and the last 30 x 10. CONDITION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS: These are original period photos they are all very clear sharp images no fading and in excellent condition. They have been corner mounted. RARITY: Photographic albums of this period in China are NOT commonly found; one made by an American Army officer stationed in China at this time is exceptionally unusual and RARE ! This is a charming primary source with a large number of clean & sharp images taken by an actual participant in this historic period of China. The officer and photographer of these photographs shared for posterity his keen insight and view of these events. We thank him for giving us privy to this slice of American & Chinese military history. . unknown
1800réf. J76F1EWPWNYUChina 1800. In a modern gold-tooled dark green morocco clam shell box in contemporary style. Collection of 17 Chinese watercolours on Asian paper with chain lines including 3 of birds seated on a branch 3 of ensembles of fruit and flowers and 5 of fishes all ca. 30 x 37 .5 cm; 2 further watercolours each showing 2 branches of flowers and trees in a drawn oval border ca. 39 x 30 cm; and 4 watercolours of Chinese people posing with objects ca. 25 x 21 cm. Thirteen detailed Chinese watercolours of birds fruits flowers plants and fishes together with four portraits of Chinese people posing with a pipe lute flower and a handheld fan. The drawings in this album show the mixture of the Chinese and European styles that was popular in the market for export paintings in the first half of the 19th century: a combination of the Chinese approach to rendering with European aesthetics concerning light shadow and realism. As traditional in these paintings large areas of flat colour have been subtly shaded with very thin lines to draw the veins of the leaves fins of the fish and feathers of the birds. The production of these export paintings began earnestly in the 1820s and reached its height in the 1830s and 1840s especially after China's defeat in the First Opium War 1839-1842 opened the country to foreign trade. Photography was introduced in China in the 1840s and the market for export paintings declined after 1860.By the end of the 18th century Chinese painters in Hong Kong and Canton started producing paintings and drawings for European buyers. Although they were made for artistic and decorative purposes many European naturalists began collecting drawings to study Chinese plants and species. Most of the plants and animals would simply not survive the journey to Europe whereas dried specimens did not preserve the colour or shape of the flower. Most of the export paintings were ensembles of flowers and animals placed on a background. Imagination was more important than copying nature and the realistically painted flowers could have different colours or even be a composition of elements from different species. For that reason serious naturalists commissioned Chinese artists to paint according to the standards of European scientific illustration. With a few tiny spots and minor smudges but otherwise in very good condition. ART ARCHITECTURE & PHOTOGRAPHY ASIA DRAWINGS PRINTS & WATERCOLOURS NATURAL HISTORY / Botany NATURAL HISTORY / Zoology Amphibians & Reptiles Birds - Ornithology China Fishes Flowering Plants unknown
réf. 78954China Thailand Myanmar ca. 1888. Oblong folio 32.1 x 40.1 cm. 86 stiff cardboard leaves each with a large original photo mounted. Average photo size about 21.5 x 27.0 cmMost photos oblong landscapes three are very wide panoramas. Contemporary full morocco binding. Spine with four raised gilt-rolled floral bands; compartments with gilt floral vignettes. Boards gilt-bordered with bevelled edges. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. = A fine unique collection of original good-sized photographs chiefly of China and in particular Hong Kong and of several adjacent countries notably Myanmar and Thailand. Included are photos of Peking Shanghai Canton and Hong Kong made by several of the leading commercial photographers of the period. Captions are in a contemporary hand written in Dutch. Five plates show street scenes in Peking Beijing including rare subjects such as Legation Street entrance gates to the city and the Imperial Observatory; five plates show Ming dynasty tombs situated near Beijing and now a World Heritage site; three show northern China including the Great Wall; 12 show Shanghai multiple of the Bund including the Jardine Matheson bank and e.g. Foochow Road a wedding procession the French Settlement with policemen and Chinese prisoners. Hong Kong is represented by no fewer than 24 photos including two extremely wide panoramas one showing the harbour from a hilltop 22.5 x 110 cm and the harbour waterfront 20.5 x 83 cm. Other pictures include parades of Indian servicemen and Highlanders. Also included: a view of the Peak Hotel and of the funicular railway both of which started operating in 1888 and look brand new. Also a view of Queens Road views taken from the Peak views focused on the commercial harbour frontage with e.g. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and Aberdeen village. Five photos show Canton Guangzhou including a foreign settlement and a pagoda. Four photos show Macao; five depict the West River Xi including an unusual rare if not unique very wide panorama of the river bank at Wuzhou a town situated in a strategically important location at the confluence of the Guijiang and Xunjiang rivers which form the voluminous Xijiang River here named the West River. This made it the natural "water gateway" connecting the southwestern regions of China with the Pearl River Delta the low-lying area where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region "referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in official documents the region is one of the most densely populated and urbanized regions in the world and is considered a megacity by numerous scholars. It is currently the wealthiest region in Southern China and one of the wealthiest regions in China" Wikipedia. The Xi River photos are smaller one just 10.0 x 14.0 cm but the others still about 14.5 x 19.0 cm or more. Outside China the following places are represented: Bangkok six photos including important temple sites a collection of elephant tusks a scene of elephants fighting two portraits of a Royal Princess - and a superb full-length portrait of King Chulalongkorn Rama V. Rangoon is represented with nine photos including studies of the imposing Shwe Dagon Buddhist site. Very light wear to spine ends and board edges; an old inobtrusive repair to one panorama; a few photos mildly faded but most photos in excellent condition. hardcover
réf. 25054401China n.d. ca. 1927-1928. Brown simulated alligator cloth covers 37 x 27.5 cm. black pages spine ribbon-tied ca. 400 b.w. photos corner mounted images very good sharp and clear images NOT fadedsolidnicely done. V E R Y R A R E ! . . SUPERB PHOTO ALBUM OF THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR: . . Beginning of The Communist Party led led by Mao Tse-tung . . V.S. the Kuomintang KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party . Led by Chiang Kai Shek. . The United States Supported the KMT. In this album we see how the KMT soldiers hosted the American Army in China using their trains and military bases throughout China. This unusual album contains 400 original b. w. photographs & and is an historic photographic record of American military deployment showing Dough-boys in China probably from the U.S. Army's 2nd. Battalion 15th. infantry per the flag and insignia found on a group formation photograph. A minority are with written captions by and large taken by the person who made the album also enhanced with a small percent of professional Chinese photos some of which have in-negative captions. There are ca. 3 or so photos missing else completely filling 32 pages or 64 sides one on the inside back cover. The inside of the front cover has five attractive period color luggage type adverts from various hotels: Hotel Lankershim & Coast Line Military & Naval Hotel San Francisco Cal; The Court Hotel Tientsin North China; Grand Hotel des Wagons Litz; Astor House Hotel Ltd. Tientsin. The album begins with photos of a Chinese playing a Pi-pa snake skin banjo then there are three other photos: first two show a Chinese military camouflage train engine from which a Yank soldier in his campaign hat descends and a long train of cars with a large howitzer mounted upon one last shows French troops at parade rest with their rifles and white gloves and crested helmets with anchors naval or marines with others in the background with some officers. The next two pages show Chinese coolies swing a basket from the creek top water a field a mother suckling her baby with her family at the farm a large water tower in the wet slums and a group of Doughboys at attention in formation they wear boots leggings chrome World War I type dress helmets a rifle back pack with bayonet cartridge pouch belts with green wool hip-length jackets. The opposite page shows another view of the Chinese military train a pair of large mounted guns on an armored train car. To the right is a Chinese officer pointing to a large pierced hole in the train with a foreign engineer peering out from the small window. The train sports the Republic of China flag with a Chinese military unit flag painted on the side. Another view shows a group of abandoned Chinese coffins that went to the dogs; a group of soldiers in garrison caps at attention with fixed bayonets as the officers salute someone near the person taking the photo some Chinese officers also present. Next 2 pages show Chinese on a wheel barrow some Japanese women by a pond in Kimono and a group of British troops from their colonial Empire: blacks Indians white trumpeter Chinese and others with musical instruments all wear white cork-type pith helmets. A group of Japanese officers mugging for the camera. Photos of the railhead and large number of Chinese troops with rifles and kit at the railway station some on march carrying their flags others in open box cars with touring cars that are on the move another of camouflaged armored train cars one shows a number of foreign soldiers looking out of a train car window some are with tiny embossed stamp at right corner: "Mei Lee Tien Tsin." The album continues with a mixture of images of civilian Chinese Chinese military their trains moving air planes weapons war refugees in tents military views of barbed wire fortifications trenches machine gunners Russian soldiers Chinese officers Chinese air force funerals rickshaw pullers camel trains captured & wounded prisoners foreign soldiers at their sand-bagged posts. Photos of the great wall magnificent Chinese architectural monuments buildings and pagodas religious icons coffins more coffins mortars & Chinese junks and a plethora of others. The American Consulate General's compound in Tientsin American military band welcoming the newly arrived replacement troops. A large photo group shot of the American officers seated for a memorial photograph with their Battalion flag proudly posted on the wall where they pose source of our citation at the top of the unit name; two buglers are at each outside position the commander is ram-rod straight and taller than all others seated in the front & center; he and only two others on his sides wear full leather knee boots probably indicating the highest ranking officers; others are in boots & leggings. Photos of Doughboys aboard a ship showing the Naval officers with one stunning photo of an American high officer with his Japanese & Chinese counter parts posing for the camera. And a photo of the "Mail Boat Gazun Panama" and a few others of Panama giving credence to the fact that some of these soldiers came from the American East coast via Panama to San Francisco then on to China. Nice photo of semi-nude Panamanian family men women children. Doughboys at target practice photos of Chinese poverty coolies pulling great loads and street vendors. More showing Chinese life style street life horse & bullock carts and yet more caskets left in the open unburied and abandoned train cars full of horses Chinese troops smoke rising from a burning city another with "Tian jin" written in Chinese catholic church more parading of American soldiers within the Tientsin American Consulate parade grounds trooping of the colors. And a nice photo of the "U.S. Army Transport Thomas" Chinese junk &c. A U.S. soldier in a necktie his rifle at fixed bayonet at parade-rest before the Consulate General compound with sand bags inside a photo of a U.S. soldier with his Colt-45 on his hip with canteen looking at some communications connections another photo of two mini U.S. tanks and a very long bridge over the water. Photo of the Tientsin downtown with a Sikh Indian policeman directing traffic. Next page shows a public Chinese street execution: the guilty on his knees with the executioner ready to swing a very large sword and another headless corpse is before him the Tientsin YMCA compound opposite which is likely the inside of the American Consulate offices showing very ancient typewriters and three women staff and one other female Navy person. They all mug for the camera with a good number of U.S. Army or Marine officers behind three desks. Chinese hauling "magnum gold" brand ammunition on hand- trucks a U.S. Army band performing before the Consulate's office. At this point we find a few photos with penned captions: "One of China's Department Stores it shows a bird vendor; Peanut Gambler a mountain of P-nuts; Chinese Shimboo photo of the office and maker of the album and his Chinese officer friend ; "A Chinese Taxi" shows him in a Rickshaw "Me and the boy friend 11/3/28" shows a tiny goat cart carrying a child's coffin with a Chinese man. This penned date gives substantial proof of the date range of the entire album which was placed about the center of the whole work. The next page shows two more penned captions: "Chinese cavalry" and "Note mud house and fence" shows two Chinese officers on horse-back and a very very poor house with very starved animals. The next shows six Chinese undercover men two each holding a Chinese being readied for execution; and a very grizzly photo of a Chinese officer actually executing a Chinese man with his pistol who is seated on a rock: the photo captures the action as the shot blows away the mans brains. Behind the execution scene is a crowd of American soldiers in campaign hats and Chinese military officers who are witness to the event. More views of Chinese street life vendors pullers haulers & horse carts religious icons and a stunning Chinese roofed gate more Chinese troops on the move via train with a very horrible view of a large number of dead Chinese in the muddy filthy waters by a bridge. Homeless Chinese at a "soup kitchen" war refugees hauling their belongings house boat street barbers a group of 7 photos by the ocean. They show American soldiers at leisure looking at Chinese fishermen nets naked fishermen hauling in a net of fish to the beach a burning waterfront village the jetty where several large American transport ships are at anchor and a great assembly of Yankee soldiers on the beach with duffel bags and their gear at the railhead. The last photo shows a great number of various whisky bottles lined up for display. More photos show a coffin maker large coffin basket seller and "chow" sellers on the street. A military formation of 100's of either Scottish or Irish soldiers with fixed bayonets marching down the main street before the "RNC Electricity Dept." below which is a very long line of British soldiers on one side of the street opposite from a good number of American soldiers who are on the side of the street a British Union Jack flies over a castle-like structure this is clearly some kind of grand military parade. More photos of the Great Wall the military parade and army chaplains with an Australia flag flying over another castle tower. Chinese river scene with large numbers of native boats in a canal a beggar's camp with straw -mat tents a canal crossing ferry for people a photo of a U.S. officer stand on top a wooden coffin for a closer look. More poverty-stricken Chinese haulers fortune tellers graves tethered horses log sawyers rice haulers electric trolley with English and Chinese language sign on the roof panorama post card of Shanghai's Bund. The album now shifts to photos of the Peking area. Shows the Ming tombs and the camel-lined road; military train the Americans were transported by that train a large bivouac and tent city where the U. S. military troops camped some Chinese "house boys" proudly holding the American troop's unit flag. More photos of two U.S. soldiers posing near Chinese coffins in a wet ditch. A group of very young Chinese boys posed near the railroad; one is so poor that he has no clothes at all and is in nude. A large group of Nationalist Chinese soldiers marching along a street one classic photo of a single American soldier on guard standing at attention as stands vigil on a barbed-wire barrier his rifle at fixed bayonet. A group of five Chinese young "ladies" who pose for the camera who seemed NOT to be bewildered by the photographer they look like "Sing-song girls" hookers who entertained the U.S. troops. Chinese Buddhist priests in white robes with shaved heads a great gate to Peking Shanghai harbor views shanty huts captured Chinese criminal or traitor guarded by Chinese soldiers train car full of rifles more Chinese soldiers on trains marching in formation on the road. And a good photo of several American officers: one with a whip posing for the camera in garrison hat. Chinese bivouac and American soldiers with bullet and pouches for ammo with rifles at parade rest. More barbed-wire barricades Chinese & British soldiers armored train-mounted gun. More Chinese prisoners traitors being executed heads hoisted on power poles in baskets as a form of public warning and display for other would-be traitors. An American tent bivouac camp at the train yard two more public exec executions by beheading at the moment of loosing one's head an executed dead man lying in the street. Photos of Peking's Forbidden City a Chinese hung to death from a tree a Yank soldier in overalls carries a Chinese bamboo "yoke" with two baskets and smokes a pipe while Chinese look on and laugh. Two photos of lines of Rickshaws waiting for passengers. One comic photo with negative caption: "Find the Chinaman;" it shows two American soldiers sitting among Chinese. Nice shot of the Summer Palace Peking and a U.S. soldier riding in a Rickshaw. The very last photo inside the back cover shows the whole battalion dressed up wearing their chrome helmets standing at attention in formation for a classic and most historic memorial photograph. Their commanding officer is front and center; all have their rifles ammo belts and very polished boots with back packs. They could be standing in the Tientsin American Consulate compound grounds. Followed by a few other photos of Chinese a Chinese soldier et al. This work shows the typical things seen in China during this period of political and military chaos. The feuding war lords and political parties at war; the landing of American military to protect American diplomatic interests. Support & assistance given to the Americans and other foreign military groups by the Nationalist Chinese army. The desperate situation of the tragic Chinese people caught in the grips of upheaval and the summary punishment of traitors in a public display of the swift and ruthless law of China. A riveting and most compelling true record of a U.S. military officer's sojourn to and deployment in China. THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND THE SIZE OF PHOTOGRAPHS: This is not a professional group of photographs but there a very small amount which were obviously purchased by the maker of the album and inserted. The vast majority are his personal photographs these again are obvious to anyone who looks at the album. This is an excellent example of private work of an unknown American Army officer stationed in China during a very chaotic period. He was interested in recording for posterity his experiences and the sights that he saw while on duty. We thank him for giving us privy to this slice of American and Chinese military history. SIZE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS: The size varies considerably sizes in cm.: the smallest are 8 x 5 most are 14 x 9 3 larger photos 24.5 x 18 and the last 30 x 10. CONDITION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS: These are original period photos they are all very clear sharp images no fading and in excellent condition. They have been corner mounted. RARITY: Photographic albums of this period in China are NOT commonly found; one made by an American Army officer stationed in China at this time is exceptionally unusual and RARE ! This is a charming primary source with a large number of clean & sharp images taken by an actual participant in this historic period of China. The officer and photographer of these photographs shared for posterity his keen insight and view of these events. We thank him for giving us privy to this slice of American & Chinese military history. . hardcover books
1683réf. 5517Rome: ca 1683. Hardcover. Fine. Bound in modern marbled papered boards with leather title label in gilt to the upper board. 17th c. manuscript in ink in a fine secretarial hand on laid paper with watermark of an anchor within circle. Fine condition leading edge untrimmed. A little light spotting on the first leaf very slim portion of leading edge of fourth leaf a little ragged and dust soiled. A report on the life death and funeral of the Sicilian Jesuit Ludovico Buglio 1606-1682 called Li Leisi Chinese: åˆ©é¡žæ€ a distinguished missionary and scientist at the Chinese imperial court in Peking during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It was written by Buglio's fellow Jesuit and friend Filippo Grimaldi Chinese: Min Ming'o 1638-1712 who arrived in China in 1671. Grimaldi was present at his confrère's funeral where he tells us that he partook of Manchu tea and wine offered to the mourners. This account which contains information not reported elsewhere remained in manuscript until the 20th century. In addition to our manuscript three other copies are known one of them in the Jesuit archives Rome: Fondo Gesuitico A.R.S.I. Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu 722/4; another in the Vatican: A.S.V. Archivio Segreto Vaticano Miscellanei dei Gesuiti arm. VIII 58 ff. 16r-21v; and the third in the State Archives Rome: Archivio di Stato Roma Gesuiti Miscell. Pacco 5. Ludovico Buglio labored in China for forty-seven politically turbulent years. He established the first mission in Szechwan Sichuan Province where he carried out intensive evangelization despite opposition from local Buddhist and Daoist clergy built churches at Baoning Chongqing and Peking served as astronomer for the rebel Zhang Xianzhong who raised Buglio to the rank of mandarin and was instrumental in restoring the Imperial Observatory at Peking to Jesuit control. Buglio was imprisoned twice exiled once and narrowly escaped execution. An arrow wound inflicted by a Manchu warrior in 1647 never fully healed leaving Buglio in intense pain for the rest of his life. The wound ultimately proved fatal. In a letter transcribed in this manuscript addressed to Buglio's fellow Jesuits in Peking the Kangxi Emperor lamented Buglio's prolonged suffering and imminent death and announced that he would assist with the funeral expenses. The Emperor's letter is followed by Grimaldi's eyewitness account of the funeral which was overseen by imperial delegates who also participated in the traditional Chinese funeral honors. Renowned for his mastery of spoken and written Chinese Buglio wrote and published a large number of Chinese-language works a list of which is appended to this manuscript. Among the most important of these were "Yulan Xifang Yaoji" "Imperially Commissioned Essentials of the West" presented to the Kangxi Emperor around May 1669 and a translation of Aquinas' "Summa Theologica" titled "Chaoxing xueyao" "Compendium of the Science of the Supernatural". The author and his account: Grimaldi "was one of the most capable and courageous missionaries; he arrived in China during a time of persecution when with the exception of four Fathers remaining in Beijing the other missionaries had been rounded up and held prisoner in Canton twenty-five in total: fourteen Jesuits ten Dominicans and one Franciscan. Upon arriving in Macau the young Fr. Grimaldi secretly made his way into Canton in December 1669 to take the place of a missionary-Fr. Navarrete the Dominican superior-who had escaped from prison; his absence had it been discovered could have seriously jeopardized all the prisoners. In 1671 when the missionaries in Canton were released Fr. Grimaldi was summoned to Beijing to assist Fr. Verbiest and gave science lessons to Emperor Kangxi himself. In 1685 the Emperor sent him to Russia to negotiate with the Tsar regarding the passage of Chinese merchants and European missionaries through Russian territory; however he was unable to achieve this objective and after an absence of seven years he returned to Beijing where he died in 1712."Barbera Grimaldi was well-positioned to write this account of Buglio's life. He labored alongside Buglio for twelve years and it can be assumed that those things that Grimaldi did not witness personally were communicated to him by Buglio himself and other Jesuits chief among them Buglio's close companion Gabriel Magalhães who was with Buglio from the time of his work in Sichuan province through his time in Peking. This accounts for the level of detail that Grimaldi is able to present in his account such as in the story of the providential removal of the arrow that had become lodged in Buglio's body after he and Magalhães were mistaken for spies and shot by Manchu soldiers: "a piece of arrow so tenaciously lodged in his body that Father Magalhães was never able to draw it out either with his hands or with his teeth. Magalhães though he was gravely wounded in one arm strove to find in the wilderness something with which to draw the arrow out; and behold before his eyes there appeared a pair of pincers which seemed to have been brought by his guardian angel for that very need alone with which full of joy and wonder he gave thanks to divine providence and freed Father Buglio from that affliction." The Emperor's letter & Buglio's Funeral: While Buglio lay on his deathbed the Emperor having heard about Buglio's illness through Zhao Chang a member of the Imperial Bodyguard sent a letter to the Jesuits which Grimaldi gives in full. In appreciation for Buglio's years of service to his father and himself his dedication to Chinese language and culture and "because you are men from beyond the sea and Father Ludovico now lies dying in this city far from his own country without kinsfolk to assist him" the Emperor informs the Jesuits that he will arrange and pay for Buglio's funeral. With the letter comes a gift of "two hundred Foè that is two hundred gold scudi and ten pieces of silk as a token of the regard I have held for the father and of how greatly his loss grieves me." The funeral rites included an impressive procession: "The Emperor in every way wished the funeral conducted according to his own affection and not according to the modesty proper to our institute. Twenty soldiers were sent by the Emperor to clear the streets as far as the burial place. At the head of the procession walked a standard raised aloft on which was written in large characters the Father's name together with the many praises and honors the Emperor bestowed on him and a copy of the Emperor's own letter in praise of the deceased on yellow satin silk a color reserved to His Majesty alone. There followed Father Buglio's image above which were written two very large characters signifying that this imperial decree had been issued in memory of the great esteem in which the deceased had been held. In the place of highest honor was set the Holy Cross with the images of St. Michael and Our Lady amid many censers and incense and choirs of diverse musical instruments." "Then followed more than five hundred Christians clothed in mourning and finally gentlemen without number preceded by the court officials sent by the Emperor for this purpose. This whole procession having at last arrived at the place granted us by the late Emperor for the burial of the fathers the funeral was carried out - with great modesty on the part of the Christians and equal reverence on the part of the gentiles." Grimaldi closes his account explaining that while he would like to write more the letter courier is about to leave for Macau and so he must stop where he is. The list of Buglio's Chinese Works: Grimaldi applauds Buglio's remarkable success in mastering Chinese which allowed him to forge close relationships with the Chinese literati and the mandarins. "He accomplished much by writing.understanding very well how highly letters are prized in China and how gentle and how powerful a means the spreading of books is for instilling the holy law of Christ. From the very beginning of his arrival in China he lost no time in advancing himself in Chinese letters language and books and to this end he had all the walls of his room covered with Chinese characters." The manuscript closes with a list of 23 of Buglio's Chinese works including the aforementioned "Yulan Xifang Yaoji" and "Chaoxing xueyao" as well as translations of the Roman Missal 1670 Breviary 1674 and Ritual 1675. Other works some on scientific matters addressed to the Emperor include "Shizi shuo" "Discourse on Lions" 1678 written when the Portuguese gave the emperor an African lion based largely on Ulisse Aldrovandi's "Book of quadrupeds" Bologna 1645 and "Jincheng ying shuo" "Discourse on Falcons offered to the emperor" 1679 written at the emperor's request after he admired the illustrations in Aldrovandi's "Ornithology". This work was later excerpted with attribution into the imperial encyclopedia "Gujin tushu jicheng" 1728. See Lo Nardo P. Ludovico Buglio S.J. 1606-1682 in Intorcettiana Anno II - N. 3 gennaio-giugno 2020; Pfister Notices biographiques et bibliographiques sue les Jésuites de l'ancienne mission de Chine 1552-1773 tome I Chang-Hai 1932 pp. 372-376. ca hardcover
réf. LCS-18330Magnifique album composé d'une suite de 28 gouaches sur papier de riz d’une remarquable finesse d’exécution. Canton, fin XIXe siècle. Album in-4 oblong de 28 feuillets ornés de gouaches peintes sur papier de riz, petites fentes à 5 peintures dont 2 avec atteinte aux peintures. Percaline noire ornée à froid, titre «album» en lettres dorées au centre du plat supérieur, tranches dorées. Reliure de l'époque. 210 x 308 mm.
1913réf. 150453Berlin, Dietrich Reimer (Ernst Vohsen), 1913. VII, 17 S., 75 Lichtdrucktafeln, davon 40 in Farbe, mit je einem Vorblatt mit Titel und beschreibendem Text, (bei Tafel 5 sind Titel und Text in die Abbildung integriert), lose in HLwd.-Mappe. Gr.-Fol., 60 x 50 cm, OHPgt.-Mappe mit goldgeprägtem Rückentitel, Deckel erneuert.
1891réf. BB009CHINA: Propaganda against Western Missionaries The Cause of the Riots in the Yangtse Valley. A "Complete Picture Gallery" by CHOU HAN. Hankow China 1891. With 32 full=page woodblock plates printed in color. Oblong 4to original printed wrappers sewn spine soiling minor repairs. The author Chou Han is described by the translator Griffith John 1831-1912 as 'a gentleman of high official rank Taotai in Hunan' and was part of an orchestrated propaganda campaign aimed at discouraging Western Christian missionaries from working and traveling in China. This volume was perhaps his most significant and horrific attack on western culture managing a "reptile press" in Hunan creating unrest and distrust amongst the Chinese people see John's "A Voice from China" 1907 p. 220. Chou Han himself is probably represented in plates IX XIII XXVI and XXIX; the images are virulently anti-foreigner and specifically anti-Christian. John translated and circulated the present work to draw attention to the British authorities of the problems faced by missionaries in Asia. Very Rare. ONLY 3 COPIES CAN BE TRACED AT AUCTION IN THE PAST 40 YEARS ABPC & RBH. paperback books
1803réf. ST15927London: Cadell and Davies 1803. ONE OF 60 LARGE PAPER COPIES of the "considerably enlarged" Fourth Edition ours a variant retaining the date of 1803 on the title-page rather than 1804. 330 x 252 mm. 13 x 9 7/8". xviii 4 xix 1 380 pp. Two leaves usually bound at the end and containing the "List of Principle Books Referred to in this Work" and "Works by the same Author" bound between pp. xvii and xix here. VERY FINE CONTEMPORARY SPRINKLED CALF raised bands flanked by plain and decorative gilt rules and chain roll spine panels with star centerpiece red morocco label marbled endpapers. With six engravings: five maps two folding and one view. A Large Paper Copy. Front pastedown with engraved armorial bookplate of Marcus Gage; title page with ink inscription at head: "M. Gage's Book got from Mr. Asperne London April 15th 1805." Lada-Mocarski 29 note; Howes C-834; Sabin 17309; Streeter VI 3501; Cordier Bibliotheca Sinica pp. 2447-48. ◆Small chip to tail of spine corners a bit rubbed flyleaves somewhat foxed the usual minor foxing to plates and a bit of offsetting to adjacent pages otherwise A VERY FINE COPY OF AN ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE EDITION clean and fresh internally with vast margins and the binding firm lustrous and with only very minor wear to the joints. This is an extremely well-preserved copy in an elegant contemporary binding of the most sought-after edition of a key source on Russian exploration and that country's efforts to expand trade with China and Alaska. Eminent historian William Coxe 1747-1828 studied the voyages and exploration by Bering and others to the regions of Kamchatka the Aleutian Islands and Siberia to prepare this overview of the geography and cultures of the lands between Russia and North America and to analyze the economic potential of trade--particularly in furs--with the region. According to Sabin "Mr. Coxe's book contains many curious and important facts with respect to the various attempts of the Russians to open a communication to the New World." The 1780 first edition of this work covered Russian voyages of discovery between 1740 and 1769; the 1787 third edition added a supplement comparing these explorations to those of Captains Cook and Clerke. Our much-expanded fourth edition gives in the words of the Preface "a complete series of voyages from 1711 to 1792 comprising all that is known on the subject." Some of this supplementary information was gleaned from earlier accounts by German historians G. F. Muller and P. S. Pallas and some from Coxe's own travels in Russia. According to Lada-Mocarski Coxe "also succeeded in securing additional material: for instance the narrative and maps of Krenitzin and Levashev's 'secret' expedition the first official Russian government expedition since Bering's 2nd expedition of 1741. He was able to secure this particular information not widely known at the time even in Russia from Dr. Wm. Robertson who in turn obtained it through his friend Dr. Rogerson first physician to the Empress Catherine II. . . . In view of the above additions one should consider the fourth edition of 1803 as the most desirable." He concludes: "Coxe's work particularly the fourth edition is a result of contemporary and authoritative sources translated into English not to be overlooked by scholars and collectors alike." There are also distinct aesthetic advantages to the present Large Paper version over the octavo printing. Not only is the type beautifully re-set and laid out as well as surrounded by vast margins but as Streeter notes there are two charts here that are not included in the octavo issue of 1803. The original owner of this volume Marcus Gage is known to have assembled a substantial library of beautifully cared-for books on travel and discovery see for example "Exploration & Discovery 1576-1939 Books from the Library of Franklin Brooke-Hitching" passim. Gage notes that he got the book from "Mr. Asperne"—no doubt the London publisher and bookseller James Asperne 1757-1820. ABPC and RBH find just four other Large Paper copies at auction in the past 45 years two of which had condition issues. One could wait a considerable time to find a copy as attractive and desirable as the present one. Cadell and Davies unknown
1891réf. 175500Hankow: no stated publisher 1891. Anything more horribly beastly and disgusting than these painted representations it would be impossible to imagine Sole edition of this collection of 32 images used by anti-Christian agitators in central China to whip up anti-foreign sentiment. They "appeal directly to the folk and elite traditions of China's classical past. In vivid colours they depict graphic violence. and show graphically the growing conflict between western missionary views of China and Chinese views of the Western presence" Perdue. The treaties signed at the end of the Opium War authorized western missionaries to proselytise in the Chinese hinterland. During the late 19th century when Chinese agriculture and rural life faced steep decline missionaries became popular scapegoats. "The original causes might be a dispute over land or water rights or an inappropriate marriage or an illicit love affair but the conflict could easily metastasize into large scale violence" Perdue. During the 1891 riots hundreds of Chinese Christians and two western missionaries were killed. The editor the missionary John Griffith based this publication on a pamphlet attributed to the Hunanese official Zhou Han 1842-1911 who used a publishing outfit in Changsha to disseminate a large quantity of anti-foreign literature. Zhou's images employ colour allegory and popular folk custom to "attack religious heterodoxy and sexual deviance with violent rhetoric. They portray the Christians as animals who know nothing of the moral codes that define humanity. The pictures portray the Western missionaries as goats and their Chinese followers as pigs. The play on words linking 'Jesus' as 'master' zhu with 'hog' zhu or 'Westerner' yang with 'goat' yang reduced the Christian believers to a bestial level. The use of the color green indicating 'cuckold' in the characters referring to Christians signified the undermining of the family by the alien believers. In a number of these images the animalistic Christians are brought before a god or magistrate who sits in judgement and offers them as sacrifices by having their throats slit" Purdue. Landscape quarto. With 32 full-page colour woodblocks colour Chinese title page. Original printed wrappers recent purple thread xianzhuang stitching front cover lettered in black rear cover with decoration and Chinese text in red black and green. Housed in custom burgundy quarter morocco box. Contemporary manuscript notation on front cover. Wrappers and edges of leaves creased and bumped rear cover rather worn recent adhesive tape repair to Chinese title page verso of final folded leaf sometime laid down onto rear wrapper illustrations bright stab-holes from original binding visible in gutter: a very good copy of a fragile work. Peter Perdue "The Cause of the Riots in the Yantgse Valley 1891 - Introduction" available online. unknown
1900réf. 174874Xi'an China: c. 1900. China's "Christian Rosetta Stone" A rubbing of the most famous document of Chinese Christianity. When rediscovered the Nestorian Stele transformed understanding of the cross-cultural history of Tang dynasty China. "The discovery of this monument is what made Westerners aware of the presence of Christianity in China prior to the mission of the Franciscans in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and those of the Jesuits" Nicolini-Zani p. 117. The Nestorian Stele was carved in 781 and stands at almost three metres tall. The Chinese inscription in the calligraphy of a local official Lu Xiuyan describes how Christians arrived at the Tang capital of Xi'an in 635 and with official permission founded churches. The stele also introduces in Chinese and Syriac some of the community's senior clergy and the present state of the Nestorian church. "Erecting a stone monument to describe commend and propagate its teachings was no small undertaking for the Tang Christian community. Putting up stone monuments was an expensive exercise because of the price of the stone and the fee of the expert artisan who engraved the text. The monument itself makes an important statement about the place of Christianity within Tang society" Nicolini-Zani pp. 120-1. In 845 Christianity was banned by Emperor Wuzong and the stele was buried. Rediscovered by Chinese antiquarians around 1625 it brought to light a lost dimension to China's history and translations soon appeared in Jesuit writings including Kircher's China Monumentis 1667 which included the first printed reproduction of the text. The stone now stands at the Beilin Museum in Xi'an and is listed among the small number of protected antiquities that will never be exhibited abroad. Rubbings from the original are no longer permitted. This piece belonged to the theologian and sociologist Y. Y. Tsu 1886-1986 also known as Chu Yu-Yu. Born in Shanghai Tsu studied at St John's College Shanghai and at Columbia becoming one of the first Chinese students of sociology to study abroad. In 1912 he became Professor of Sociology at St John's and later served as the religious director of the Peking Union Medical College. "In 1940 he was consecrated an Episcopal bishop in Shanghai and was named Assistant Bishop of Hong Kong and Bishop of Kunming where he began his Burma Road work." Tsu was known "as the 'Bishop of the Burma Road' because of his efforts to befriend Allied troops traveling the international highway that ran through his district" obituary in New York Times. In 1931 Tsu held a visiting lectureship at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley California. This rubbing was gifted to the institution by Tsu and displayed there during the 1930s. It is regularly mentioned as a point of interest in contemporary tourist guides to the state. Mounted on four long pieces of paper total size: 234 x 96 cm. Rubbing from stone on multiple paper sheets arranged soon after execution to form 120 x 320 mm curved headpiece 100 x 588 mm title and 1825 x 870 text body edges of mount reinforced with old decorative white paper. Rubbing generally sharp and legible a few surface blemishes sectional joins reinforced in places on verso: a very good example of an imposing piece. Matteo Nicolini-Zani The Luminous Way to the East: Texts and History of the First Encounter of Christianity with China 2022. unknown
1898réf. 178920China Japan and at sea: 1898-99; 1911-13. The "scramble for China" An important visual record of Germany's empire-building in China and naval life in East Asia before the First World War including early views of Qingdao. It was assembled by Hermann Mörsberger a future rear-admiral who served at Kiautschou Bay during the 1897-8 crisis and commanded the East Asia Squadron's SMS Nürnberg between 1911 and 1913. The murder of two missionaries in Shandong in 1897 offered Germany an excuse to deploy troops to Kiautschou Bay and press its case for a concessionary area - and strategically positioned port - on Chinese soil. Attached to the Matrosenartillerie-Detachement Kiautschou as a leutnant zur see Mörsberger 1872-1940 shipped out to China in late 1897 on the screw steamer Darmstadt. The ship's arrival off Qingdao in January 1898 and the rapid deployment of its marines confirmed Germany's de facto control of the territory and left the Qing government with little option but to grant a concession. The first album opens with a photograph of Darmstadt and superb photographs of the cruiser SMS Kaiserin Augusta - ordered to China to brandish its dozen guns - and other powerhouses of the squadron including Cormoran Irene and Prinzess Wilhelm. Images show the parade on 27 January 1898 to welcome the future governor Rear-Admiral Ernst Otto von Diederichs 1843-1918 and Qingdao's artillery dump and yamen. Missionaries were hot on the navy's heels the album containing a group portrait of Joseph Freinademetz and other visiting Catholic missionaries in February 1898 as well as several pieces of red paper with their Chinese and Western signatures. After the legal takeover of the concession Mörsberger transferred to Kaiserin Augusta visiting Shanghai Hong Kong and Tokyo. More standard tourist views of Shanghai including a nicely composed image of a junk moored in the river are arranged alongside photographs of the unveiling of the city's ltis Monument on 21 November 1898. In a more relaxed moment Mörsberger poses playfully with other junior officers. German power did not take long to bed in. Within a decade and a half Mörsberger - now a fregattenkapitän - returned to Qingdao with Nürnberg a Königsberg-class light cruiser and the squadron's newest member. A panorama shows the armoured cruiser SMS Scharnhorst the flagship of squadron commander Count Maximilian von Spee docked in newly built facilities the recently christened Prince Heinrich Hill in the background. Nürnberg moves between ports as part of its Yangtze patrol duties Mörsberger obtaining panoramas taken from the river of Shanghai Zhenjiang Jiujiang Nanjing and Hankou as well as shots of other squadron vessels. Alongside official events including the welcoming of official dignitaries and the parade to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Kaiser's coronation there is time for tourism parties and an international rowing contest. Four unusual photographs capture the illuminated buildings of Shanghai at night. A small proportion of material concerns Japan Thailand Honolulu and Mexico. Many of the professionally executed photographs concerning China were clearly circulated only within the German military and in small numbers. 2 albums landscape folio. With 195 mounted albumen platinum and gelatin silver photographs including 31 large portraits and views c. 145 x 205 to 205 x 280 mm 26 panoramas c. 90 x 290 to 110 x 340 mm and 138 small photographs c. 55 x 80 to 145 x 210 mm. Together with other laid-down material: 17 items of printed ephemera documents menus etc. 14 ms. items some in Chinese ms. map watercolour 110 x 140 mm. With 4 ms. maps printed map photographic panorama and printed passport loosely inserted. Neat German captions. First album: original black half sheep green cloth sides decorative linings card leaves hinged with black cloth. Second album: original green cloth lettered "S.M.S. Nürnberg" in gilt on front cover decorative linings black cloth rear pocket card leaves hinged with black cloth. Material well preserved occasional offsetting fading and yellowing to some photographs but detail still readily discernible one photograph splitting along old horizontal fold binding of first album worn second sunned and with a few abrasions: very good. hardcover
réf. 25041601China 1904-1906. Half red leather over marbled boards recent binding gold-stamped very good 35 x 27.5 cm. all edge gilt most gone 18 stiff leaves 166 b.w. photos one pencil drawing one post card one photo cut outvery clean. . . . AMERICAN "DOUGH BOYS" IN CHINA 1927 . . . DURING THE FIRST REVOLUTIONARY WAR . . THE FOUNDING OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY This excellent primary record was begun July 1904 and ended with the last photo caption dated June-August 1906. The work is an exceptionally clean example with meticulous captions clear and bright images of varying sizes. The smallest is 6 x 4.5 cm. ca 10 each up to 23.5 x 17 cm. for the largest. With a large number of intermediary sizes in between. . The captions are in both English & Italian and a mix of both languages carefully identifying the place & person photographed. From the kind of photographs and people in these its is easy to deduce that this album was likely made by an Italian officer assigned as part of the protective foreign force for the Italian Embassy and diplomatic corps as guards. Assigned to China to continue to protect after the Boxer uprising they protected both the foreign diplomatic community and their families. A good number of these are of Peking and of their excursions around China. . Visits to Shan-Fan-Shan temple photos of a friend who was in Seoul Korea riding a rickshaw photos of some American military officers: ie "Lieut. Clark & Capt. Brewster Commandant of the Peking U.S. Delegation guard Lieutenant. Clark" et al. Polo on the Peking Polo grounds Pei-Tai-ho beach one lovely one of "Casa di mia Isabella; next obviously a photo of the album's maker and Italian who freely associated freely with his American counterparts in the military & diplomatic corps. . A lovely pencil sketch of Francesco Rospidliosi perhaps the creator of this album dated August 1903. Peking race track grandstand "Variag" Chemulko Korea: view of a belly-up ship in Korea another dated April 1904 shows various diplomats: "Ministro d'Augustine.Mr. Uchida.do of Peking." dragon boat in Shanghai three great photos of horse-mounted officers with caption and date "Warriors. 1904 Peking & Huang Ts'un" and their horses. . January 1905 the album continues with photos of the soldiers in Peking their pet dog horses wagons Chinese grooms &c. Then a lovely and grand size group photo some in military uniform others in civilian clothes diplomats most with long boots dated "March 1905" most with Italian names except for one penciled at the far right: "Swanton" and two women. Names appear above and below the photo which is 23.5 x 17 cm. Next 2 page show horse racing honor guards in formation "April 1905" going to church photos of Peking race horses and their foreign mounts "May 1905." Next pair of pages show a "September 1905 Trip to the Great Wall with Mrs. Brewster & Miss Brewster at Sha-ho Chinese hotel Nan-ko Pass Mrs. David at Peitai-ho" and along the way to the Great wall with stunning photos of the impressive and grand size "First Gate." Their horse-drawn stage coach-like "wagon" straight out of the old American West ! Photos of three foreign children "Peking 1905." On the next page more of the Great Wall excursion: Capt. & Mrs. Brewster along side the Great Wall & of course photos from on top of the Great wall all nicely dated ! Next set show more on the Great Wall and "Coming back without Toda and a superb photo of the album compiler mounted on horseback with "doggie" standing at attention ! . The next pair shows Shanghai naval officer and horse wagon another of two foreign children in a large Jinriksha in Peking 1905 with another of the children in great fur coats. Postcard of the Wuta-su Temple of Seven Pagodas Peking. More horse-mounted photos Peking race course. . The next page shows some important and spectacular photos. "Miss Roosevelt Eleanor wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who held that office from 1933 to 1945 Capt. Diconard Military Attaché USA Mr. Rockhill U.S. Minister please inquire with us to see if we have some of his important books on Tibet in stock Mr. Cooledge First American Legation Miss Roosevelt Chinaman.Peking Sept. 1905. These great people are greeted by a group of Chinese Imperial Mandarins wearing special hats and long white gowns. Another of "Miss Roosevelt M. Mrs. di Almeida Capt. Pringle Peking 1905." . Then a larger and quite stunning photo of Italian Naval officers.and Americans: "Mrs. Brewster Commandant Cipriani Miss Brewster Guardia della Degarione d'Italia.Capitano BrewsterAmerican." all seated before a great Fu Dog for a camera pose. . The album continues then a rather sad photo of the "Portion of the remains of the French Catholic Mission residence of La Varche & Ma-murdered Nan Chang March 1906" & "Kinghams chapel in background.burnt house is right around March 1906." Adjacent to this is "Ring leader of attack on Kingham's house Han Chang March 1906." . Next 2 pages show more ruined church with "corner of house in which Mr. & Mrs. Kingham and the little daughter Gracie .they were beaten to death in this corner-blood stains March 1906." Next shows "Four men who conducted murder torture having taken part in the murder of the Kinghams and burning of their mission March 1906" shows four Chinese handcuffed to a steel ring around their necks. We now learn the true level of danger for foreigners in China and the reason for the foreign troops to give protection to the innocents murdered by Chinese. . The next page shows an inspection of the palace by Capt. Lynne Doct. Dawe H.M. Tripe at Han Chang March 1906. Arrival of the Chinese delegation for the "Han Chang murder of foreign missionaries affair. Next two show a visit to Hankow the race course grand stand Miss Byron A.W. Cross another shows 1st Lieut. F.E.K. Strong playing banjo April 1906. Shipboard travel on the H.M.S. Cadmus. Continue ship travel to Hankow on board the "Calabria" and a nice photo of A.W. Cross Commissioner Hankow another of S.S. Marco Polo at Hankow. Apparently the military group was now moved to Hankow where memorial photos were taken aboard ship with the officers all named around the photo. Next shows "Consulato d'Italia Hankow August 1906." Other pages show H.M.S. Clarity the Han river ."with daddy & Miss Hart June 1906" and other ship and harbor views. Next shows a great French cruiser "Descartes" at Kiukiang Kiukiang Bund Commissioner's garden Festa del Dragones dragon boats country walks with Mrs. Lay et al. The album ends with June-August 1906 dated photos rest at "Bungalow" in Kiu Kiang. Where they visited with British administrators and missionaries. . Rare insight to the diplomatic world of foreigners stationed in China at the turn-of-the century. Fascinating primary resource. There are very few albums that cover this rare aspect of life in China from the higher social structure of foreign diplomats and military people. Keen insights to the life and customs of the privileged people. . . unknown
réf. 698117 of 36 folding black & white woodcut plates each with fine contemporary hand-coloring. Printed in red & black zhu mo tao yin ben. 51; 50 folding leaves. Two vols. 8vo 265 x 166 mm. modern brown wrappers new stitching. Beijing: Wu ying dian the Imperial Printing House Preface dated 1711 Afterword dated 1712 completed 1713. First edition Chinese issue of this famous and beautifully illustrated book ordered by and overseen by Kangxi 1654-1722 Emperor of China. It was printed in 400 copies on superior paper 200 in Manchu and 200 in Chinese. The Chinese edition is quite remarkable for having been printed in both black and red ink zhu mo tao yin ben an invention from the Yuan Dynasty requiring two runs through the press. The book is a collection of poems written about 36 remarkable sites which include gardens landscapes and buildings at the emperor's summer palace a mountain estate in Rehe now Chengde Hebei; it is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For each poem a magnificent folding woodcut plate is provided depicting the associated site. While our copy has 17 of the 36 folding plates they have been beautifully hand-colored at what appears to be an early date and have large margins at the bottom. The difference between the black & white plates and those hand-colored is remarkable and dramatic. In each case the plates - which are extremely fragile - have been expertly backed with new paper margins strengthened and reinserted into the volumes on stubs. The plates clearly come from another copy. On several of the plates there is some small loss of image. Our copy has plates 2 3 7 8 9 11 14 15 16 19 21 24 25 27 29 32 and 35 as established by Whiteman see below. The result is a perfect match of poetry and landscape painting with strong literary and artistic characteristics. Kangxi's own Preface dated 1711 is followed by the impressions in red of his two seals: Ti yuan zhu ren his style name used on his seals and Wan ji yu xia "Brief leisure". This work "offers a virtual tour framed by images and the emperor's own poetry the garden placed in the palms of one's hands. Created in parallel painted which no longer survives woodblock printed our first edition and copperplate engraved versions the album's multiple iterations resonated with each other and with the park itself."-Stephen H. Whiteman Where Dragon Veins Meet. The Kangxi Emperor and His Estate at Rehe 2020 p. 6-& see the entirety of this wonderful and beautiful book especially pp. 151-88. The scenes of the imperial gardens and landscapes offered in this book allowed unprecedented access to the private life of the emperor. In 1702 Kangxi ordered the construction of the palace and landscaping of the considerable parklands at Rehe in order to support his annual tours north amongst the court's Inner Mongolian allies. The palace served as a second capital at which Kangxi resided from late spring to early autumn. When in residence the emperor oversaw garden tours banquets and entertainments all of which celebrated his rule. In 1711 Emperor Kangxi conceived of a project to celebrate his 60th birthday and 50th year of his reign. He selected 36 major scenic sites within the extensive property and gardens surrounding the summer palace. One poem for each site was written with the emperor's involvement and one painting of each site was created by the court artist Shen Yu b. 1649. The writings and accompanying illustrations were meant to demonstrate the harmony between heaven and humankind through natural landscapes and related architecture. They also served as propaganda: this represents the first time imperial spaces were depicted during the Kangxi court. The collection of poems was annotated by Kui Xu Li Tingyi and others upon the imperial order and prefaced by Emperor Kangxi himself in 1711. Two of the court's most talented woodblock artists Zhu Gui ca. 1644-1717 and Mei Yufeng active ca. 1696-1713 were engaged to prepare the woodblocks from Shen Yu's designs. "Whether derived from or simply correlated to the unique album now lost the woodblock-printed book functions as a surrogate for the paintings. It imitates the album's arrangement and mode of engagement with the landscape pairing image and text in an intimately scaled format. The style of the images evokes Wang Yuanqi but also and more significant the emperor's most important artist thereby marking the book as a work of the court's highest echelon of cultural production and an object clearly commissioned and owned by the emperor. "Kangxi was intimately involved in the minutiae of the book's production from the selection of a specific type of high-quality paper to reviewing and editing the printing proofs to inspecting samples of the finished work. He was kept closely informed about the progress of the project including difficulties in curing the datewood blocks Zhu Gui and Mei Yufeng used as well as the need for more artisans given the scale and intricacy of the work. The order for four hundred copies two hundred in Chinese and another two hundred in Manchu came directly from the throne. In comparison to other contemporary projects with print runs of one thousand or more this number suggests that the emperor had a clear sense of the exclusive audience he intended to reach. "There is no record of the deadline against which the block-cutters printers and binders all labored. Given the timing of the project and the flurry of reports around printing and binding that appear from the intercalary fifth through the seventh months of 1713 however it seems most likely that the volumes were meant as gifts for the emperor's sixtieth birthday celebrations that year. The scale and lavishness of production accords with this hypothesis as four hundred copies indicated intended distribution among a relatively small circle of imperial clansmen steppe elites senior officials and others close to the throne."-ibid. pp. 182-83. Shortly thereafter in the years 1712-14 another edition was produced with engravings instead of woodcuts. It was overseen by the Jesuit Matteo Ripa and two Qing artists. In fine and fresh condition. Minor worming to text leaves but not the plates. Preserved in a chitsu. unknown books
1874réf. 64884Berlin, R. Wagner, (1871-1874). Imp.-Fol. (62 x 53 cm). Mit 34 chromolithogr. Farbtafeln v. R. Steinbock (27) u. W. Loeillot (7) nach Eduard Hildebrandt, vom Verlag auf Untersatzkartons montiert. Zus. m. dem letzten Orig.-Lieferungsumschlag lose in schwarz- u. goldgepr. illustr. OLwd.-Mappe.
