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 principles were established. The volume then moves through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing periods to the end of the nineteenth century. The masterworks on display range from brightly coloured and crisply delineated Buddhist frescoes to the muted yet evocative ink-wash landscapes of the literati painters. The three major genres that structure the history of Chinese painting, figurative painting, landscape, and bird-and-flower, are each represented and traced through their development across successive dynasties.

The contributors carry between them the full authority of contemporary Chinese painting scholarship. Zheng Xinmiao, the volume's editor, served as director of the Palace Museum in Beijing — the institution whose holdings include the largest collection of Chinese imperial art in the world. Zhang Hongxing is a senior curator and researcher at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Shao Qingqing is a curator at the National Museum of China. Zhang Bo specialises in the art of the Ming and Qing dynasties; Jiang Peng in the scroll paintings of the Song through Qing periods; Li Lin in the earlier history of Chinese painting at the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts.

Near fine. Some very minor spotting along the binding edge; otherwise clean, bright, and fine throughout. The wraparound clamshell case presents well. Publisher's shipping box retained.

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Catalogue Number: HH000617