Yu zhi geng zhi tu 御製耕織圖 [Agriculture & Sericulture Illustrated].
46 finely hand-colored full-page woodcuts (all ca. 244 x 238 mm.). Two parts in one vol. 100 panels (or pages). Large 4to (267 x 267 mm.), orig. silk over boards, manuscript title slip on upper cover, bound in orihon (accordion) style. [China: 18th or 19th century].
A beautiful edition of this famous illustrated work on Chinese agricultural and sericultural techniques. The hand-colored illustrations are based on the Song dynasty edition of 1237 by Lou Shou 樓璹 (1090-1162), the earliest Chinese book to illustrate all the steps in rice cultivation and silk production. The illustrations were quite influential, serving... More