In Shanghai in July, the art auction season is about to begin, and the Boguzhai Auction, which specializes in rare books under Duoyunxuan Group, will take the lead in raising the hammer at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on July 4 to unveil the first chapter of the 2021 Shanghai Spring Auction Series. As the only professional auction company in Shanghai focusing on the auction of ancient books, Boguzhai Auction has become a boutique cultural brand specializing in "ancient book business" among local cultural enterprises in Shanghai.
The Boguzhai auction 2021 spring auction, a wide range of ancient books and rare books at home and abroad to collect more than 1,000 pieces of calligraphy and paintings, including Ming relics, Western rare books and other topics, and for the first time launched the "auction night show" - "Vientiane: Ancient Books and Rare Books Calligraphy and Painting Boutique Special". Among the special auctions, there are many old collections from Shanghai Book Co., Ltd. and Duoyunxuan Antique Company.
"Cradle Ben" appeared in the domestic auction
All along, Boguzhai Auction has been mainly based on domestic ancient books and rare books, and is committed to the exploration of the cultural value of Ancient Chinese Books and the promotion of national spirit. On the basis of the domestic ancient books and rare books, the Spring Auction Boguzhai collected a number of Western classic books at home and abroad, and launched the special topic of "Western Rare Books", with the intention of building a bridge between Chinese and Western cultural exchanges in the field of ancient books.
This time, the "Western Rare Books" feature books are rich in variety, including a number of classic works, including many precious cradle books. Cradle ben can be said to be the most brilliant pearl in the crown of Western ancient books, specifically refers to the early movable type periodicals printed between the invention of Western movable type printing in 1450 AD and 1500 years, most of the cradle books that have survived in the world are concentrated in some famous libraries in Europe and the United States, and the "cradle book" is rarely circulated to the Auction Site of Shanghai Boguzhai. As a rare cultural relic recognized in the world, the number of cradle books is only more than 30,000 kinds, and there are currently 13 cradle books (14 volumes) in the Chinese library collection, 5 books (6 volumes) in the National Library of China, 2 books in the Shanghai Library, and 6 books in the National Taiwan University Library.
Among them is an extremely rare early parchment edition of the Roman Prayer (Cradle of 1479) used by the Franciscans, which is recorded to contain only four copies of the Biblioth of Rome, deposited in the Bibliothèque Britain, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Bibliothèque National de Marciana (four pages missing), and the Pilpente Morgan Library. The lot was once in the Collection of the Pierpont Morgan Library and was released in 1984 with the Book Label of the Pierpont Morgan Library and the 19th Century Richard Bennett Book Label. A set of two copies is kept in a dark green paper turning box.
Pictured: Roman Prayer Book Official Picture
The West gradually describes the awakening of China
The "Western Rare Books" special session also selected the works of Western scholars describing China. The French Jesuit Duhed's Complete Chronicle of the Chinese Empire, a compilation of the unpublished and printed works of 27 Jesuits, showcases the extensive achievements of the Chinese in literature, science, philosophy, and art.
Picture: "The Complete Chronicle of the Chinese Empire" Official Map
In addition, the "Spring and Autumn Dayi School Sample" (that is, the "Spirit of the Chinese" by Gu Hongming, the "Great Confucian" of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty" who was "famous" because of the popularity of the TV series "The Age of Awakening", and the "Lyric Song" of Yasunari Kawabata's inscription will also appear as the special auctions. Gu Hongming's Spring and Autumn Great Righteousness, titled "The Spirit of the Chinese People", was first published in 1915 by the Beijing Daily News Agency, and it is an English book that attempts to clarify the spirit of Chinese to the Western world and reveal the value of Chinese civilization. The book had a great influence on the understanding of Chinese culture in the Western world at that time. The title page of the lot has Gu Hongming's English signature and a small number of approvals.
Picture: Gu Hongming's "Spring and Autumn Great Righteousness" Official Map
Traditional fine ancient books "Ming Relics" special session attracted attention
In the academic community, the topic of "Ming Remnants" has always been a hot topic of research, ming relics as a special group in the midst of the change of the times, its thinking is also in constant change, in general, most of them finally from the general righteousness, actively participated in the construction of social order and ethical and moral system, Gu Yanwu's sentence "The world rises and falls, and the pirate has the responsibility" summarizes the reasons for this change from a deep level. In this spring auction, boguzhai "Ming relics" special topic, focusing on the presentation of a number of Ming relics literati works, so that viewers can explore the inner world of the remnants from the surviving pen and ink.
One of the highlights of the theme is two lots by the poet and politician Song Xi in the early Qing Dynasty. Song Yi (pronounced "Luo") was once praised by the Kangxi Emperor as "the first inspector of the world in incorruptibility", and at the same time was able to write poetry, work calligraphy and painting, especially poetry in the early Qing Dynasty literary circle. Among the special auctions, one is the ninth volume of Song Yibao's "Chunhua Ge Ti", which has the seals of "犖", "Mu zhong", "Gong Song An" and "Xipo", and the handwritten Song Yi Chang Bao. The other is the fifty volumes of the "Xipi Manuscript" written by Song Xi, the first print of the Qing Kangxi Dynasty, bound on bamboo paper and thread, a total of sixteen volumes, and the plutonium is printed with "Once upon a Time", "犖" and "Mu Zhong", which is very rare.
Pictured: Song Xun Pai "Chunhua Ge Ti" Volume IX Official Diagram
Another highlight of the topic is Ming Liu Su's "Green Fang Collection", the lot is the Southern Ming Yong Calendar Zhangzhou Wei Yu Bin Pavilion engraving, bamboo paper line binding, a volume of one letter, in front of the volume there is Yang Yeyao order, The second Ding Hai (Shunzhi 4th year 1647) Xia Wu Wei Yu Bin self-order. In the special topic, Wang Zuo's "Nanmu Rizhi Manuscript" is also worth mentioning, the Ming Dynasty manuscript, line binding two volumes, the former has the Chongzhen Bingzi Society's brother Cao Xun Order, and the end has Cheng Mubao. Volumes 1 to 3 say the Qunjing, Volume 4 Zi Dao Interpretation, Volume 5 Elephant Weft Five Elements Phonology, Volume 67 Miscellaneous Inner and Outer Chapters. This book is the old collection of Ye Jiwen, Ye Zhiyi, and Song Lanhua, and another one written by Li Zhangyu, which is recorded in the "Records of the Books and Eyes of the Qunyuan Collection".
Picture: "Nanmu Ri Notes Manuscript" Official Picture
"Night shows" have gradually become a major trend in art auctions
Chen Jiayong, general manager of Boguzhai, introduced that in the 2021 spring auction, Boguzhai auction first launched boguzhai "Vientiane" night show, which was to see the great success of last year's Duoyunxuan auction "Yunji" night show. The preview of the Shanghai Boguzhai 2021 Spring Auction will be held from July 2 to July 3, and the auction will be held on July 4 at the 8th floor of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, No. 200 Huangpi North Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai. In order to meet the needs of collectors, Shanghai Boguzhai official WeChat Mini Program "Boguzhai Online" has been officially launched, scan the code to pay attention to the "Boguzhai Online" WeChat Mini Program, anytime, anywhere to participate in the online spring auction.
Pictured: "Xuanshou Eight Thousand" Official Picture
It is reported that "Vientiane: Ancient Books and Rare Books Calligraphy and Painting Special Exhibition" specially selects many lots worthy of appreciation for the majority of collectors. Zhang Tingjibao's "Han Yuzhou Engaged in Yin Zhou Stele", Qing Tuo ben; "Photocopy of the Song Moraine Sand Tibetan Classic" Inter-Republic of China photocopy, even the history of paper and thread, a full set of 593 volumes, with the original wooden box; Yu Youren, Li Zongren and other handwritten "Xuanshou Eight Thousand Volumes", the lot contains more than 200 pieces of hand scrolls, photos, etc. The lot is the Republic of China industrialist Gui Jihuan spent several years of energy to visit more than a thousand people in the political, industrial and commercial circles and literary celebrities at that time, respectfully inviting the families to dedicate their lives to their mother's collection of words, and accumulating armpits into Qiu Qiu to integrate this huge volume of "Xuanshou Eight Thousand". (Xinmin Evening News reporter Le Mengrong)