Abatch of rare copper engravings of Nanjing scenes produced by foreigners in the 17th and 18th centuries are going on display in the Jiangsu Provincial Chronicles Museum after their being the first donation to the museum in 2021.
From these paintings, we can see the style of Nanjing in the eyes of Europeans at that time, who as it turned out, were shocked at the prosperity of the city.
The three copperplate prints simply carry the names of that which they depict. “Landscape from Nanjing”, “Nanjing Street View” and “Nanjing-Baolin Temple” (Bao’en Temple) have been donated to the museum by Professor Xu Panqing of Sanjiang College, reports Nanjing Daily.
The how and why of the way these paintings came to be dates back to 1655, when the Dutch East India Company sent a mission to visit China on two sailing ships. One of the ambassadors on board was a sketcher named Johannes Nieuhof. As Steward and Secretary of the mission, his additional task was to observe the farms, towns, palaces and rivers, and draw them in a form true to life.
They arrived in China on 10 August, 1655, passing through the big cities of the south such as Guangzhou. By May of 1656, the mission had made it to Nanjing. Nieuhof was so impressed by the city’s prosperity that he painted about thirty paintings of Nanjing. Thanks to his careful observation, he recorded in detail the urban architecture and living conditions of local people at that time.
The vivid picture, “Vue d’une Rue de Nanking” (Nanjing Street View), shows tidy roads and people riding horses on the street, while the buildings on either side are arranged in a neat form.
Other paintings from the same masterful collection, ”The First Visit to China by a Dutch Ambassador” can only be found in the National Library and Peking University. They are also extremely rare items in the records of major world-class auction houses.
Of the other two paintings, Nanjing-Baolin Temple is more worthy of note. It was painted by Alain Manesson Mallet, a Frenchman who once served in the army of Louis XIV, becoming a Sergeant-Major in the artillery, the Inspector of Fortifications and of course, court painter.
Opened in 2010, the Jiangsu Provincial Chronicles Museum has a collection of nearly 100,000 volumes of miscellaneous records, yearbooks and other documents, many of precious historical value. With its profound cultural heritage, the Jiangsu Provincial Chronicles Museum is gradually becoming a new local touchstone for the dissemination of Jiangsu historical culture.
As much library as museum, it is permissible to borrow selected items, after presenting the necessary documentation and paying a deposit of ¥100. Open from 09:00-17:00 from Monday to Friday, with visits at the weekend by appointment only, the Museum is located at 50 Mengdu Da Jie (off Huangshan Lu) in Jianye District. Tel 86383565.
