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Book/Printed Material Jin shi kun chong cao mu zhuang 金石昆蟲草木狀

[ Volume 1 ]

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[ Volume 2 ]

About this Item

Title

  • Jin shi kun chong cao mu zhuang

Other Title

  • 金石昆蟲草木狀

Translated Title

  • Depictions of Metals, Minerals, Insects and Plants

Summary

  • Jin shi kun chong cao mu zhuang (Depictions of metals, minerals, insects, and plants) was painted by Wen Shu (1594--1634), a great-great-granddaughter of Wen Zhengming (1470--1559), one of the greatest Ming dynasty painters, calligraphers, and scholars. Married to Zhang Jun, also a painter, and residing in Hanshan, Wen Shu was surrounded by nature and excelled in painting birds, flowers, plants, insects, and butterflies. She spent a number of years copying thousands of illustrations from books of traditional Chinese medicine in the imperial collection. Zhang Jun's handwritten preface, dated the 48th year of the Wanli reign (1620), states that Wen Shu painted most objects by copying them from illustrations in books on materia medica. She painted without adding text, which distinguishes her work from the colored illustrations of the unpublished manuscript, Ben cao pin hui jing yao (Collection of essentials in materia medica), produced in 1505 by Liu Wentai and others. This album in 27 juan contains 1,316 images depicting 1,070 kinds of medical plants. In the upper right corner of each illustration is the name of the herb, handwritten in red by Wen's father, Wen Congjian, a landscape painter. The work was previously in the collection of Zhang Fang'er, a nephew of Zhang Fengyi, Minister of the Bureau of War. There are two seal impressions, one a white rectangular shape which reads Mingshan Tang, the other the name of the workshop Qing yi fu. The album came into the National Central Library collection during the War of Resistance against Japan (1937--45) at the recommendation of businessman Pan Boshan (1904--43).

Names

  • Wen, Shu, 1594-1634 Author

Created / Published

  • [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified], [1617 to 1620]

Headings

  • -  China
  • -  1617 to 1620
  • -  Materia medica
  • -  Medicine, Chinese
  • -  Pictorial works

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Paintings"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 27 juan in 12 volumes.
  • -  Original resource at: National Central Library.
  • -  Content in Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Chinese Books, Manuscripts, Maps, and Prints

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666351

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Wen, Shu, Author. Jin Shi Kun Chong Cao Mu Zhuang. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, to 1620, 1617] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666351/.

APA citation style:

Wen, S. (1617) Jin Shi Kun Chong Cao Mu Zhuang. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, to 1620] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666351/.

MLA citation style:

Wen, Shu, Author. Jin Shi Kun Chong Cao Mu Zhuang. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, to 1620, 1617] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666351/>.