Nangong County

Nangongxian Yutu [Map of Nangong County]. China, [Qing dynasty, 1831-1912].
Manuscript map of Nangong County, Hebei Province. Originally made for administrative use, judging from the letter written in the pasted pink sheet at the upper right corner and the bilingual official seal “Nangong Xian Yin” (Seal of Nangong County) with Chinese and Manchu characters stamped on the front cover. As for the letter written on the pink sheet, several terms of respect reveal that the recipient of this map out-ranked the giver. The letter starts with an introduction of the geographical features of Nangong County, then the military forces and population. Eight routes setting off from the county towards different directions are elaborately listed in the letter. These routes are reflected in the map with ink dotted lines, bearing a radiate configuration around the city walls of Nangong County. Names of routes are written on pink labels pasted beside the routes. Names of destination and distance mileage are also given. The map shows the north at the bottom. The composition of the present lot is very similar to that of Nangong Xian Hedao Tu (Map of Rivers in Nangong County) in Nangong Xian Zhi (Gazetteer of Nangong County) published in 1831. This map was preserved in the later version of the gazetteer produced in 1904, but did not appear in the earlier version released in 1673 (Kangxi period). It is not a surprise that the artist of the present lot had the opportunity to review maps in the gazetteer projects conducted by the local government and chose an illustration from the gazetteers as the compositional skeleton of his map. Thus, the date of the present lot can be narrowed to from 1831 to the end of the Qing dynasty. References: Shi Zhou, Nangong Xian Zhi (Gazetteer of Nangong County) (1831), vol. 1; Yinquan Hu, Nangong Xian Zhi (Gazetteer of Nangong County) (1673), vol. 1; Shiwen Dai, Nangong Xian Zhi (Gazetteer of Nangong County) (1673), vol. 1.
Manuscript map of Nangong County, Hebei Province, ink and color on rice paper, approximately 510 x 635 mm, and 225 x 120 mm when folded. A pink square sheet attached to the upper right corner with text about the county, pink labels pasted along routes in the map with annotations; a piece of brown paper attached in the middle to the back, when folded, the brown paper becomes an envelope-like front cover, pink title slip with the title written in ink on the front cover, stamped with an official seal. Geographical elements outlined in pale ocher, villages represented by red-outlined houses, county walls, routes and names in ink, river patterns and wall bricks in grey. (Few pale stains/ofsetting, some small holes and separation at folds, brown paper backing with some minor chips).
Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie’s to arrange shipping of the lot to a foreign address, the buyer will not be required to pay the import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie’s to arrange shipping of the lot to a domestic address, if the buyer collects the property in person, or if the buyer arranges their own shipping (whether domestically or internationally), the buyer will be required to pay the import tariff. Please contact Post Sale Services on +1 212 636 2650 prior to bidding for more information.