Buildings on Paper

Abstract

Abstract The transmission of European engravings to China had significant artistic consequences during the eighteenth century, at a key moment in the development of relations between the Chinese emperor and the pope. In Buildings on Paper: A 1713 Inventory of European Engravings for the Chinese Emperor, Pedro Luengo analyzes a previously unknown collection of architectural and artistic books inventoried in 1713 in connection with the papal legation of Cardinal Charles-Thomas Maillard de Tournon (1668–1710). The sources in the inventory contrast with those preserved by the Jesuits in Beijing, until now regarded as the only references for European artistic and architectural influence in the Chinese capital. Luengo evaluates the engravings and books listed in the 1713 inventory in terms of their impact on art and architecture in China, especially in the construction of palaces in the capital.