DOI Kapitel:
Essays
DOI Kapitel:Ning, Yao: Propagating the Confucian Virtues: Chinese Artists in Serialized Printed Portrait Books
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70035#0031
Yao Ning
Fig. 5: Image of an unknown official, woodblock
print, 1497, in: Zhanshi zongpu (The
Genealogical Book of the Zhan Family)
Fig. 6: Illustration of Du Liniang
painting a self-portrait, woodblock print,
1572-1620, in: Mudan ting (The
Peony Pavilion) by Tang Xianzu
In Nancun chuogelu (preface dated 1366), Tao Zongyi (1329-
ca. 1412) describes two cases that rely on mirror-lens projections. The first case is at
Huqiu in Pingjiang (today's Suzhou). It reads: "There is a hole on the wall of a pavilion
at Huqiu. When a sunny day comes, a blanc paper the size of a hand can be used to
receive the reflection. The whole temple can appear on the paper, but upside down.
It is a true image, not an illusion” (X'X 0
MM«, I']««««. « «)■ in
the second case, Tao describes a pagoda projected upside down on the western wall
of the home of a private Xia X family in Songjiang (today's Shanghai).36 In Wall
xiao zhi II; (finished around 1643, first extant edition 1664), Fang Yizhi X1U
(1611-1671) describes how a camera obscura and a mirror-lens projection were
used; he terms both of them "the methods of using glass-mirrors absorbing and
receiving transparent pictures” Fang notes at the end that the
methods were called "Wu xiang xiang wu” (The images of things resemble
the things) in the Far West.37 The use of optical devices is an undeniable fact in portrait
paintings when numerous faces are painted very small, normally not bigger than
coins as mentioned in the preface of Wang Yi's treatise as well as seen in many
24
Fig. 5: Image of an unknown official, woodblock
print, 1497, in: Zhanshi zongpu (The
Genealogical Book of the Zhan Family)
Fig. 6: Illustration of Du Liniang
painting a self-portrait, woodblock print,
1572-1620, in: Mudan ting (The
Peony Pavilion) by Tang Xianzu
In Nancun chuogelu (preface dated 1366), Tao Zongyi (1329-
ca. 1412) describes two cases that rely on mirror-lens projections. The first case is at
Huqiu in Pingjiang (today's Suzhou). It reads: "There is a hole on the wall of a pavilion
at Huqiu. When a sunny day comes, a blanc paper the size of a hand can be used to
receive the reflection. The whole temple can appear on the paper, but upside down.
It is a true image, not an illusion” (X'X 0
MM«, I']««««. « «)■ in
the second case, Tao describes a pagoda projected upside down on the western wall
of the home of a private Xia X family in Songjiang (today's Shanghai).36 In Wall
xiao zhi II; (finished around 1643, first extant edition 1664), Fang Yizhi X1U
(1611-1671) describes how a camera obscura and a mirror-lens projection were
used; he terms both of them "the methods of using glass-mirrors absorbing and
receiving transparent pictures” Fang notes at the end that the
methods were called "Wu xiang xiang wu” (The images of things resemble
the things) in the Far West.37 The use of optical devices is an undeniable fact in portrait
paintings when numerous faces are painted very small, normally not bigger than
coins as mentioned in the preface of Wang Yi's treatise as well as seen in many
24