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Yuzhou @baiy.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Rare books folks attending #RBMS2026: mark your calendar for our panel on new approaches to Chinese missionary collections + Zhang Jie (@zjarthistory.bsky.social) + Mårten Söderblom Saarela (@bcricciinstitute.bsky.social) + Alexander Akin (2024-26 President, @abaararebooks.bsky.social)

Poster of RBMS panel "Researching & Cataloging Missionary Collections from China" June 24, 2026 4-5 PM at Ballroom A.
Text: "Join us in exploring new approaches to missionary collections in North American repositories by centering non-Euro-American agents!"
Images: (top) cover of a bilingual book (French and Chinese dialect) on the passion of Jesus; (bottom) a color plate of Jesus and his disciples featuring a Jesuit symbol on top of Jesus' head, and a Chinese book under his feet.

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Rare Book School @rarebookschool.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

RBS invites you to the 2026 Kress Foundation Art of the Book in Europe Lecture: “Aquatint Travel Books and the Haptic Picturesque,” by Douglas Fordham, at 5:30 p.m. ET on 1 June in UVA’s Shannon Library, Room 330, or via Zoom. Details: rarebookschool.org/events/2026/06/douglas-fordham-kress-lecture

rarebookschool.org

Douglas Fordham: Aquatint Travel Books and the Haptic Picturesque The 2026 Kress Foundation Art of the Book in Europe Lecture - Rare Book School

Polite interest in picturesque sketching meant that many Britons had experience drawing outlines, “dead coloring” shadows, and adding enlivening watercolor touches. This three-stage process also occur...

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Illustrations from the Scheut missionaries' book Voyages de Bruxelles en Mongolie (1873). The illustrations show a Beijing street scene, Hong Kong, and a Mongol camp.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Recent acquisition: Martino Martini's De Bello Tartarico historia from 1654, a history of the Manchu conquest of China in 1644

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Examples of illustrations from the French press during the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901). The rebellion involved conflicts with Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries and provided an excuse for imperialist intervention in the form the Eight Nation Army.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Due to the US extension of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1892, the Chinese Qing Empire withdrew from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This created the opportunity for local Chinese Chicagoans to build a Chinese Theatre and Joss House as an amusement concession. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Chicago

The image is a (pseudo-)stereoscopic photograph of a building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The structure features multiple tiered towers resembling pagodas, each topped with a pointed roof. It is symmetrical, with the towers dominating the scene. The facade includes ornate decorations and large poster saying “Theatre Temple Worsship 25c.” An American flag is visibly flying atop the building. Several small figures are seen near the base, suggesting scale. The image is bordered by text describing the location and event: World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Obscured by flower offerings, the Buddhist icon sits at just above eye level in the shrine. For more on this topic, see Chan's "Portable Faith: Toward a Non-Site-Specific History of Buddhist Art in Japan,” viewable here: tinyurl.com/3tde394d #Buddhasinthewest

Image shows detail of the photograph revealing the Buddha statue inside the portable shrine.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

In 1911, to promote efforts of American missionaries abroad, an arm of the missions board sponsored a massive traveling exhibit of the world's religions. The "Japan Scene" was dominated by a replica of a Buddhist temple, traveling from Boston to Cincinnati and elsewhere. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Cincinnati

The image depicts a artificial replica of a Japanese temple with worshipers. At the center is a statue of a seated Buddha under a pagoda-style roof supported by four dark columns. In front of the sculpture, there are three individuals kneeling in a pose of worship. Flanking the structure are two stone lanterns, one on each side. Around the temple area are various people, both men and women, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The background shows a curtained wall and additional architectural details. The caption says "Temple with worshippers, Japanese Scene."

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Victorian trade cards often employed the same visual language found in contemporary political cartoons. In the late 1870s and 1880s, as anti-Chinese xenophobia intensified in the US, depictions of the “heathen Chinee” prostrating before Buddhist idols became more widespread. 🧵 🗃️ 📜

The image depicts a Victorian trade card that illustrated a scene with several children engaged in different activities. In the foreground one child is lying on the floor holding a glass bottle, suggesting he is drunk. Another holds a large sheet of paper to the viewer with the word “IMAGERIE” written on the top. In the back three Chinese children prostrate before a statue with horns and a sinister grin on a pedestal.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social A few more photos from our scroll, Shizi chongxun 十字寵勳. We have since found out that a similar scroll was printed at the T'ou-sè-wè 土家灣 orphanage in Shanghai in 1929. This reproduction has not allowed us to determine with certainty that they are identical.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

In the midst of a growing Pacific War, the young Republic of China withdrew from the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933. Private individual ensured China's symbolic presence, however, with local Chinatown businessmen erecting two giant pagodas for the “Streets of Shanghai” concession. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Chicago

Image shows a vintage illustrated postcard depicts a stylized street scene featuring traditional Chinese architecture with bright red pagoda-style buildings, ornate tiered towers, and curved tiled rooftops. The composition includes several figures walking along a wide pathway, some carrying parasols or pushing carts, while others stand near vendor tables. Flags in red, white, and blue tones hang from tall poles, and banners with Chinese characters are displayed near the right edge. The overall color palette is warm and saturated, with detailed linework and a textured print surface typical of early 20th-century postcards.
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Zhang Jie @zjarthistory.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

APRIL panel at #AARSBL2025: Encountering Buddha in Museums: Modern Expressions of an Ancient Tradition, Mon Nov 24, 2025, 1–3pm, Marriott Copley Place (5th floor, Maine Room), Boston. papers.aarweb.org/papers-sessi...

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

The circular insert depicts an uncommon two-story pagoda known as the Many Treasures Pagoda (tahōtō) described in the Lotus Sutra. This illustration shows the one built at Hachiman Shrine which was destroyed in 1870, several decades before this card was issued. #buddhasinthewest #多宝塔

Image shows fine detail of the lithographic print, highlighting the use of color for the two-story pagoda and lantern.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

The figure in the lower right corner is a crude rendering of a seated buddha. Pronounced ethnic facial features and flowing silk garments were sometimes used to signify "authentic" Asian religions iconography. 4/5

Image shows magnifying globe highlighting the seated buddha-like figure with long mustache, red and yellow cape, and flowing green pants.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

This use of fumi-e continued until 1858 when it was formally abandoned. To read a scientific analysis of historical paper-made fumi-e, see Montanari et al., "Kami Fumi-e: Japanese Paper Images to Be Trampled on—A Mystery Resolved" (2025), here: www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/8/... #buddhasinthewest

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

@ricciinstitutelib.bsky.social This scroll contains a Qing-period, hand-colored woodblock print titled "Shizi chongxun" 十字寵勳. It offers a fascinating glimpse into cultural exchanges in late 19th-century China and shows Christ on the cross revered by a unified audience of various ethnicities.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Following the success of colonial pavilions at World’s Fairs, France initiated its own independent Colonial Expositions in the 1890s. In Marseilles in 1906, famous architectural sites from French Indochina were reconstructed, including a towering Buddhist pagoda representing Annam.🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Vietnam

The image shows a vintage illustration of a traditional East Asian-style pagoda and temple set within a lush landscape. The pagoda has a tall, multi-tiered design with each tier featuring a set of round windows. The main structure is adorned with ornate roof edges that curve upward. Surrounding the building are leafy green trees, adding to the serene setting. In the foreground, several people in European dress are walking on a dirt path, giving a sense of scale and liveliness to the scene.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Writing in 1790, William Hurd noted the icons of Ceylon were "fantastic and monstrous," while one, "formed like a giant," was called "Buddu." The accompanying engraving of the Buddha shows a curious bearded figure with a tall crown and sword held aloft in his right hand.🧵 🗃️ 📜 #SriLanka

The image is a detailed engraving showing a religious ceremony. Central to the scene is a statue of a deity, depicted standing on a raised platform. The statue is adorned with a crown and holds a sword in its right hand. Surrounding the platform, a group of people are engaged in worship, gesturing and offering items towards the statue. On the left side, a person kneels, extending an offering. The setting appears to be an ornate room with religious imagery and weaponry on the walls.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

A few days ago, we shared images of our scroll titled Tiantang yaoli 天堂要理. We've since done more research and revised the date to 1937. Our scroll is related to a painting currently held in Belgium and reproduced by Jeroom Heyndrickx in his study of it. Full citation in the alt-text.

A painting reproduced from Jeroom Heyndrickx, "Catechesis on Heaven 天堂要理: A Chinese Catechetical Painting Prepared by Raymond de Jaegher SAM and Br. Liu Yuejue CSJB Introducing the Christian Message to Chinese Farmers," in History of Catechesis in China, 255-65, eds. Staf Vloeberghs et al. (Leuven: Ferdinand Verbiest Institute, 2008).

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

A polychrome paper scroll titled Tiantang yaoli 天堂要理 (Essential principles of Heaven). It presents a Catholic narrative of human history, with a "good path" (shandao 善道) leading to Heaven (via Purgatory) and an "evil path" (edao 惡道) leading to Hell. The scroll probably dates from 1929.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Details from two illustrations in Shengjiao xiangshuo 聖教像說 [Images and explanations of the holy teaching] (web.bc.edu/ricci/indexT...), a Catholic publication with Qing-period origins. Clothing in the book appears to reflect Republican fashion. We thus conjecture that it was published after 1911.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

The Ling Long Chinese Museum in Chicago opened prior to the 1934 World's Fair hoping to draw visitors and help erase the popular view that US Chinatowns were "immoral and dangerous." The museum housed a large altar in the rear of the main arcade to enshrine an icon of Guanyin. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Chicago

The image depicts a colorful interior scene from the Ling Long Chinese Museum, specifically the so-called “Temple of Kung Yin” [sic]. It showcases a seated image of Guanyin on a lotus pedestal. The image is centrally positioned and surrounded by intricate ornamental pillars and panels featuring decorative patterns and red and yellow Chinese text. Two lion statues flank the pedestal, contributing to the symmetrical composition. The background includes a richly decorated wall with intricate artwork. The floor consists of multicolored tiles, adding texture to the scene.
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Cha: An Asian Literary Journal @asiancha.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

If you are interested in reading and writing about any of these titles, please send an email to t@asiancha.com. We would love to hear from you.

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Hilde De Weerdt @hildedw.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

If you are interested in the history of book, check out this phenomenal exhibit curated by the wonderful Martin Heijdra at Princeton. It is a model exhibit in so many ways, covering different parts of the world, so many languages, and, images are in IIIF dpul.princeton.edu/global-book-...

dpul.princeton.edu

Forms & Function

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

One of the Institute's jijin 祭巾, headgear worn by Catholic priests in late imperial China. The jijin was first described by Giuilo Aleni 艾儒畧 (1582-1649) in his Misa jiyi 彌撒祭義 (Meaning of the rite of the mass, preface dated 1629). The pictured jijin is small and probably belonged to an altar boy.

The jijin on the table, with the hat itself in focus.

The insignia of the Society of Jesus embroidered on the jijin.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

We recently bought a late 19th-c. Catholic work published in Shanghai. Cataloguing it, we found a note in pencil with the date 1941. We also found two tram tickets, one with penciled notes in the same hand. We will post about the book itself on a different occasion. For now, please enjoy these.

Recto of Shanghai tramways ticket, probably from ca. 1941.

Verso of Shanghai tramways ticket, probably from ca. 1941.

Recto of Shanghai tramways (or bus?) ticket, probably from ca. 1941.

Verso of Shanghai tramways (or bus?) ticket, probably from ca. 1941. It is inscribed in pencil: "From Yongan to Jing'an Temple, 4 cents | From Jing'an to Nanyang College, 6 cents" 永安到靜安寺4分 | 靜安到南洋公學6分.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

A number of paintings depicting Jesuit missionaries to Ming and Qing China, as well as Xu Guangqi 徐光啟, were returned to the Institute from the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, where they had been on loan. The paintings were made at the T'ou-sè-wè 土山灣 orphanage in Shanghai before 1915.

A painting of Matteo Ricci lies on a table, encased in protective wrapping. Another painting is placed on a table behind it.

A scan of a painting depicting Xu Guangqi.

A scan of a painting depicting Ferdinand Verbiest (Nan Huairen 南懷仁).

A scan of a painting depicting Matteo Ricci (Li Madou 利瑪竇).

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Two illustrations from an undated Japanese manuscript copy of Adam Schall von Bell's 湯若望 (1591-1666) Yuanjing shuo 遠鏡說 [Explanation of the telescope, 1626]. The wormed manuscript has been expertly mended.

Sunrise and sunset depicted in a diagram in Schall's Yuanjing shuo 遠鏡說.

A telescope depicted in a diagram in Schall's Yuanjing shuo 遠鏡說.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Details from a map of Edo (present-day Tokyo) that we have yet to catalog. The library will be closed on Monday, May 26. We wish everyone in the US a nice Memorial Day weekend.

Detail from a Tokugawa-period map of Edo (Tokyo), showing the shogunal castle.

Detail from a Tokugawa-period map of Edo (Tokyo), showing ships in Tokyo bay (?).

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Using photogrammetry, the Boston College Digital Scholarship team (ds.bc.edu) is helping us create 3D models of some of our Japanese printing woodblocks. We have great plans for these scans. Stay tuned.

A printing woodblock is positioned on a turntable in a light box with a camera pointed toward it.

A person is showing something on a laptop computer screen to another person.

Two printing woodblocks are placed on a table with a lightbox in the background.

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Zhang Jie @zjarthistory.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

This was an unexpected find, by chance, but turns out to be a treat!

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Jie Zhang (Arizona State University) is helping us identify the source of images in a recently acquired early 20th-century Chinese book on the passion of the Christ.

Two books with similar images are displayed open on a table.

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Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History @bcricciinstitute.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Jie Zhang (Arizona State University) is visiting the library to do research on interreligious exchanges in printed illustrations between the 17th and 19th century. For more information on Ms. Zhang and her work, see search.asu.edu/profile/4784....

Jie Zhang sits at a desk studying a document.

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