• Anonimo (siglato "S.B." alla fine dell'itinerario)

Exceptional and entirely unprecedented Lotto consisting of two era-handwritten notebooks and a large original hand-drawn topographic map, documenting one of the very earliest Western logistical and tourist explorations of the famous Yungang Grottoes (云冈石窟), here phoneticized as "Yun Choui-Toung". ILLUSTRIOUS PROVENANCE: This lot comes directly from the private library and studio of Professor Alfredo Mario Cadonna (1948-2020), eminent Italian sinologist, philologist, and highly respected lecturer in the History of Philosophy and Religions of China at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and at the Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples, as well as long-time Director of the Venice and Orient Institute of the Giorgio Cini Foundation. The notebook’s cover bears his official ownership stamp and his handwritten initials, guaranteeing an exceptionally high academic and collecting pedigree (provenance). This unique archival document was drafted at the beginning of the 20th century (late Qing dynasty, c. 1900-1905) by an engineer or official of the Compagnie Impériale des Chemins de Fer Chinois, detached to the Matériel et Traction division of the strategic Beijing-Hankow line. The lot includes: 1. The original field notebook: Beige/pink-era cover with an official red seal/stamp in the upper right corner, enriched by the author’s personal stamp and initials from Professor Alfredo Cadonna’s collection. It contains rough notes and the logbook detailing wild trails, topography, and logistics. 2. The fine-copy notebook: Written in splendid blue-black cursive ink, it describes the itinerary with precision, best-season recommendations, management of local transport (donkeys, horses, porters), and the monks’ reception at the pagodas. The final pages include a detailed hourly table for 3 days signed "S.B.". 3. The original hand-drawn topographic map: A unique cartographic work drawn entirely by hand with red and blue inks. It shows the route starting from Han-ki station (indicated 52 miles from Beijing), the mountainous relief, watercourses, and the exact location of the various pagodas leading to the Grotto site. Historical importance: At that time, the Buddhist complex of Yungang (today a UNESCO World Heritage site) was almost inaccessible and unknown in the West. This manuscript constitutes a first-rate testimony on Franco-Chinese relations, on the history of railway colonialism, and on the archaeological rediscovery of Imperial China, enriched by its association with one of Europe’s leading specialists in Chinese culture and religion.”}]}

Estimation:€1,700

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