China on Paper, edited by Marcia Reed and Paola Demattè

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China on Paper
European and Chinese Works from the Late Sixteenth to the Early Nineteenth Century. Edited by Marcia Reed and Paola Demattè. The Getty Research Institute: 2007. Pg. 280. 49 color, 68 b&w illustrations, 1 line drawing.) ISBN 13: 978-0-89236-869-3.

Reviewed by Auggie Moore - October 16, 2007

China on Paper is a gorgeously illustrated volume that chronicles the interaction between China and Europe from the late sixteenth to the early nineteenth century. This history is examined through the books, maps, and prints that had been exported to the West, and how the West's own understanding of China was chronicled in paper works, many of which in turn were exported to China. These items included travel books, religious treatises, scientific volumes, maps, engravings, prints, and more.

Edited by Marcia Reed and Paola Demattè this informative book includes six premier essays that examine the history and role played by works on paper from this period. The essays in this book include:

In Search of Perfect Clarity, by Marcia Reed and Paola Demattè.
A Perfume is Best from Afar: Publishing China for Europe, by Marcia Reed.
Christ and Confucius: Accommodating Christian and Chinese Beliefs, by Paola Demattè.
From Astronomy to Heaven: Jesuit Science and the Conversion of China, by Paola Demattè.
Mapping an Acentric World: Ferdinand Verbiest's Kunyu Quantu, by Gang Song and Paola Demattè.
War and Peace: Four Intercultural Landscapes, by Richard E. Strassberg.

Also included in this volume are the entries for the companion catalog for the China on Paper exhibit that will be on display at the Getty Research Institute from November 6, 2007 - February 10, 2008. This catalog includes not only illustrations of the items that will be on display, but also detailed descriptions of the varied works on paper that will comprise the exhibit.

China on Paper is essential reading for both general and academic readers with an interest in the exchange of ideas, and 'paper' trade goods, between Europe and China during this period. It also provides keen insights into how these two disparate cultures viewed each other. The book is ideal for both general and academic readers, and the lavish illustrations that grace this book, also makes it perfect for use as a coffee-table book.

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Earthquake Nation: The Cultural Politics of Japanese Seismicity, 1868 - 1930, by Gregory Clancey.
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