Shakespeare, William. Manuscript "Chart of the Vast World" - photo 1
Shakespeare, William. Manuscript "Chart of the Vast World" - photo 1

Manuscript "Chart of the Vast World"

Lot 97
15.10.2021 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 2 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 627586
Lot 97 | Manuscript "Chart of the Vast World"
Estimate value
$ 2 000 – 3 000
YU, Dengfeng. Tiandi Wantu Biao [Chart of the Vast World]. China, [late Ming period, early 17th century].

A handsome manuscript map of the globe. With north at the top, the map shows the Asia-Euro continent and Africa on the left, the Americas on the right, Gronlanda (the present Greenland) at the left, and the north and south poles. The cartographical guide written at the lower right corner indicates that blue represents the seas, green for lakes and rivers, and ochre for hills. However, no rivers and hills are painted in the map. Scientific maps employing Western techniques of cartography entered China with the arrival of Jesuits since the sixteenth century, and were embraced by the intellectuals. However, map making with traditional Chinese painting methods never died out. The present lot is a charming combination of conventional presentation of Chinese art and modernized concepts of Western knowledge.

The source of single hemisphere map like the present lot can be traced back to Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), who painted similar while he was in Guangdong (such as Shanhai Yudi Quantu) and before he moved to Nanchang and then Beijing (Tam). As the signature at the lower left corner of the present lot reads, the map was “painted and produced by your servant Yu Dengfeng at the government office of Wuyuan County, Huizhou Prefecture.” This reveals that the recipient of the present lot should be the emperor. The oval seal at the upper right corner reads kejian qishi (announcement of being restraint and frugal), probably a personal seal of the cartographer. No records of Yu Dengfeng can be found, but he shares the same generation name “deng” with Yu Dengying, father of the magistrate of Wuyuan County in early Qianlong’s reign, Yu Yungeng (a. 1730-1760). (Feng) The artist of the present lot, might start serving for the government office of Wuyuan County after his younger relative being appointed the position of magistrate. Along the left margin of the map, an inscription, probably by a collector, says “viewed by the owner of Liu Yi Xuan (Cottage of Six Regrets) from Wuyuan County, Huizhou Prefecture.” The pale red color of the inscription is so similar to the frames surrounding the place names in the globe that the frames maybe added by this collector rather than the cartographer. Since this map was supposed to be presented to the emperor, it’s unlikely that a local collector would write inscriptions on it. A further inference is that the present lot might be a draft of the map for the emperor, which is probably more detailed, with green lakes and rivers, as well as ochre hills, as described in the cartographical guide. A collector’s seal at the lower right corner, reading Xianhe, probably the name or sobriquet of the owner of Cottage of Six Regrets. References: Kwong-Lim Tam, Cong Fangyuan dao Jingwei: Xianggang yu Huanan Lishi Ditu Zhencang [From Circular and Square Shapes to Meridian and Parallel Lines: Collected Treasures of Historical Maps of Hong Kong and South China] (2010), pp. 52-53, pl. 24; Guifen Feng, Suzhou Fu Zhi (Gazetteer of Suzhou Prefecture), vol. 97 (1882).

Manuscript map of the globe, ink and color on paper, mounted as an album leaf with silk borders, the central fold shows that it was originally a vertical album, approximately 535 x 570 mm including mounting. Title at the upper right corner, signature and seal of the artist at the lower left corner, text in Chinese. Contours of the globe and continents drawn with dark grey lines, light gray outline color for contours for the continents, ocean painted in cobalt blue with patterns of wave, place names written in ink with light red frames. (Slight toning, wear and browning along central fold, some narrow dampstaining to edges, several tiny holes and a rust stain.)
Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie’s to arrange shipping of the lot to a foreign address, the buyer will not be required to pay the import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie’s to arrange shipping of the lot to a domestic address, if the buyer collects the property in person, or if the buyer arranges their own shipping (whether domestically or internationally), the buyer will be required to pay the import tariff. Please contact Post Sale Services on +1 212 636 2650 prior to bidding for more information.
Artist:William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Applied technique:Pencil
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
01.10.2021 – 15.10.2021
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Antiquities of Mexico
Antiquities of Mexico
$16 000
Verbiest's world map
Verbiest's world map
$12 000
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
$2 800
Iliad, in Latin
Iliad, in Latin
$1 500
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
$100
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
$1 000
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
$1 200
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
$1 600

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>