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DISCOURSE ON THE NEWLY-BUILT ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE OBSERVATORY (xinzhilingtaiyixiang zhi); DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE QING DYNASTY (qinding da qing hui dian tu) 1674; 1818 (3) image 1
DISCOURSE ON THE NEWLY-BUILT ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE OBSERVATORY (xinzhilingtaiyixiang zhi); DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE QING DYNASTY (qinding da qing hui dian tu) 1674; 1818 (3) image 2
DISCOURSE ON THE NEWLY-BUILT ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE OBSERVATORY (xinzhilingtaiyixiang zhi); DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE QING DYNASTY (qinding da qing hui dian tu) 1674; 1818 (3) image 3
Property from Arthur Probsthain Bookshop, London (Lots 709-716)
Lot 712

DISCOURSE ON THE NEWLY-BUILT ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE OBSERVATORY (xinzhilingtaiyixiang zhi); DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE QING DYNASTY (qinding da qing hui dian tu)
1674; 1818

12 – 19 May 2025, 12:00 BST
Online, London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £2,304 inc. premium

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DISCOURSE ON THE NEWLY-BUILT ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE OBSERVATORY (xinzhilingtaiyixiang zhi); DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE QING DYNASTY (qinding da qing hui dian tu)

1674; 1818
Comprising: One volume of the Imperial woodblock printed book by Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688) comprising part four; together with two volumes of the Imperial woodblock printed book, the first volume comprising parts 57-60 and the second 118-122.
26.3cm high x 17.2cm wide and 31cm (12 1/4in) high x 20cm (7 7/8in) wide overall respectively (3).

Footnotes

一六七四年《新製靈臺儀象志》
一八一八年 《欽定大清會典圖》

Provenance: The Hanlin Academy before July 1900 (paper annotation - the qinding da qing hui dian tu)
Arthur Probsthain, London

Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688) was a Flemish Jesuit mathematician and astronomer at the court of the Kangxi Emperor. He was appointed tutor to the Emperor, Director of the Beijing Imperial Observatory and head of the Mathematical Tribunal. In 1673 he rebuilt the Observatory and had 6 new large instruments built (a quadrant, azimuth compass, sextant, celestial globe, and two armillary spheres) modelled on those of Tycho Brahe, in his Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica of 1598.

Description of the System of Government is the largest judicial corpus on administrative matters compiled during the Qing dynasty. Various versions were created of which this is the Jiaqing version, compiled by Tojin and Cao Zhenyong. These volumes include detailed depictions and illustrations of the paraphernalia for State ceremonies.

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