book of prints, book, print, facsimile
On display
This is a an early published copy of the George Henry Mason's Costumes of China, one of the oldest illustrated books on Chinese customs to be published in English. It provides printed illustrations of watercolours produced in workshops chiefly for sale to foreigners, for whom they functioned as records of the exotic.
The original leatherbound volume created by Mason is also part of the Ashmolean's collections [EA2003.4], in which the original watercolours purchased by in Canton in 1789 are pasted. This also includes the author’s manuscript together with details of the publisher’s and printer’s quotes and a newspaper cutting announcing the publication.
Although published under the title Costumes of China, these watercolours equally record trade and leisure activities.
Details
-
Artist/maker
after Thomas Stothard ("Stothard") (1755 - 1834) (engraver) -
Associated people
William Miller (1769 - 1845) (publisher) -
Object type
-
No. of items
1
-
Museum location
Second floor | Gallery 38 | China from AD 800 -
Museum department
Eastern Art
-
Accession no.
EA2003.4.a
Our online collection is being continually updated. Find out more
Know more about this object? Spotted an error? Contact us
Further reading
Vainker, Shelagh, ‘Costumes of China’, Orientations, 34/November, (2003), passim
