Shakespeare, William. Revision of Records of the Vast Earth - photo 1
Shakespeare, William. Revision of Records of the Vast Earth - photo 2
Shakespeare, William. Revision of Records of the Vast Earth - photo 1

Revision of Records of the Vast Earth

Starting price
$ 1 200
Auction dateClassic
15.10.2021 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 627580
Lot 90 | Revision of Records of the Vast Earth
CAI, Fangbing (1626-1709) ed. Zengding Guang Yu Ji [Revision of Records of the Vast Earth]. China, Kangxi period, 1686.

Comprehensive atlas of China during the Kangxi period, using traditional Chinese cartography. Most probably based on the Guang yutu (Enlarged terrestrial atlas, c. 1555) by Luo Hongxian (1504-1564), this work contains a general map of the Qing empire and fifteen provincial maps, all printed from woodblocks. Cordell Yee has observed that although Luo used a cartographic grid, this is absent from Cai’s work. The grid was ultimately derived from Matteo Ricci’s introduction of this cartographic method to China, but as Yee points out, the strength of indigenous Chinese cartographic tradition was such that it was not superseded by such western techniques until the 19th century. Despite the central government’s interest in the use of scalar techniques to enable careful surveying and therefore derive quantitative data, these gazetteers prefer to use pictorial representation. Instead, the textual descriptions of the geography provide the quantitative information. References: Cordell D.K. Yee, ‘Traditional Chinese Cartography and the Myth of Westernization’ in The History of Cartography, Vol. II, Book 2, pp.187-188.

15 volumes, small folio (225 x 170 mm). Woodcut printing including a general map of the Qing empire and fifteen provincial maps. (Toning, mostly marginal tears and wormholes, occasional soiling.) Thread-bound with Chinese wrappers; blue cloth folding case. Vol. 1 with title label, the other volumes with title written in ink directly on the cover; profusion of illustrations in vol. 1 (label chipping, tear from lower cover of vol. 1, binding threads loose or lost).

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.