Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Painting (First Edition, Second Printing)

A$220 · Offered by Harry Hartog Rare Books · No longer available

First edition

SHAO, Qingqing; ZHENG, Xinmiao; ZHANG, Bo; JIANG, Peng LI, Lin (ed. Zheng Xinmiao). Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Painting. London New York: Abbeville Press, 2011. Folio. Softcover volume with printed silk-textured covers, bound in the traditional Chinese stab-binding technique with hand-sewn thread. Folded leaves throughout. Premium paper with silk-textured surface. 270 pp. 105 full-colour plates, each work reproduced in full on the verso with narrative caption, and again as a full-page detail on the recto — 234 colour illustrations in total. Wraparound clamshell case with gilt titling. First edition, second printing. Chronological coverage: Eastern Jin dynasty (AD 317–420) to the end of the nineteenth century. This volume presents a marvellous synthesis of modern production methods with classical techniques. Printed on premium paper whose subtle texture recalls the feel of silk, it is crafted in the traditional Chinese manner, with folded leaves and a hand-sewn thread binding, its covers protected by an elegant wraparound case stamped in gold. The stab-binding technique used is among the most ancient of Chinese bookbinding forms, from manuscripts to printed books from the Tang dynasty through the twentieth century. The collection of works within opens in the Eastern Jin dynasty of the early fourth century AD and moves chronologically through the Tang and Song dynasties: the twin peaks of Chinese painting, in which the major genres and their governing aesthetic principle

• Printing: later
• Binding: Hardcover

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