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dark red cloth hardbound 8vo. 8º dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. very fine cond. looks new. as new. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of all markings. dustwrapper in fine cond. not worn or torn or price clipped. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking , underlining, remainder markings etc ~first edition. first printing ( # 1 in # line). xvi+286p. b&w map. 43 b&w illustrations. acknowlegments. abbreviations. 3 appendices. notes. list of transliterations. bibliography. index. world history. history of china. archaeology. art history. history of technology. jesuit mission to china. colonialism. automata. astronomy. matteo ricci. porcelain. british east india company. french east india comapny. jardin, matheseon & co. george lord macartney. yuanmingyuan. ~ The late sixteenth century through the eighteenth century was a period of complex change for the Chinese: Europe was eagerly looking to the East with an interest in developing a "China market," not just in commercial and diplomatic enterprises but in evangelical ventures as well. The resulting contacts produced significant cultural exchanges and appropriations, as well as misconceptions and stereotypes. Profoundly affected by these interactions were the areas of technology and the decorative arts. Europe became enamored of Chinese style, and a fashion known as chinoiserie permeated the decorative arts. In China, one result of this Sino~European contact was the introduction of a new and important technology: the Western mechanical clock. The Chinese had used a type of mechanical clock in connection with astronomy as early as the late seventh century. Two centuries later, however, the knowledge was lost. Following the introduction of the first striking clock by the Jesuits came innumerable other timepieces of varying elaborateness and expense, made in Europe for the China trade, and later in China for both the court and native market. They quickly became objects of fascination for the Qing~dynasty emperors who collected them by the thousands. Termed "self~ringing bells" in Chinese, these elaborate clocks were used as status symbols, decorative items, and personal adornments, and only occasionally as timepieces. Most importantly, they were signifiers of cultural power: Europeans, whether missionary or ambassador, controlled the introduction of both object and technology, and they used this to advantage in gaining access to the highest reaches of Chinese society. Through its focus on technology and the decorative arts, and by using both object and text, this study contributes to an overall understanding of the nature and extent of European influences in late Imperial China and of the levels of understanding between these two cultures. Its interdisciplinary approach makes it of interest to those in the fields of art history, history of clockwork and of science and technology, Jesuit history, Qing~dynasty history, and Asian studies as well as to the educated general reader. Codice articolo 4011302
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