Note | Xizi qiji 西字奇跡 [西字奇蹟] / [Matteo Ricci 利瑪竇}.
Stitch-bound in case.
Included in the collection of inkstone reproductions Sheyuan mocui 涉園墨萃 under the title Li Madou ti baoxiang tu fuzeng 利瑪竇題寶像圖附贈.
“….Four religious engravings that were owned by Ricci have been preserved in a most curious way, by being included in the “ink cake” album Chengshi moyuan 程氏墨苑 (The Ink Garden of Mr. Cheng), published shortly after 1605 by the famous ink master Cheng Dayue 程大約 (1541-1616?). With his fine sense of publicity Ricci had given them to Cheng to be reproduced both on his ink cakes and in this “sales catalogue”. Significantly, the four images (the disciples of Emmaus, Saint Peter sinking in the water, Sodom, and the Virgin with Child) were given a place in Cheng’s section of “Buddhist and Taoist subjects” (zihuang 緇黃). The reproduction of the Western prints is amazingly exact. Most interesting is the fact that the picture of the Virgin with Child according to its inscription was made “In Sem[inario] Jap[onico] 1597”, a clear sign of the connection with the Jesuit workshops in Japan.” ---Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, vol. 1, p. 811. See also p. 866 (below).
“….The second variant is found in some of the works in Classical Chinese that Ricci wrote towards the end of his life, notably a work entitled Xizi qiji 西字奇跡 (The Miracle of Western Letters), published in Beijing in 1605. It is a booklet of six folios, containing three short Biblical stories hand-written by Ricci in Chinese characters, and accompanied by their romanisation. The romanisation used here is more mature and generally consistent and also indicates the tones of each character.” --Cf. Standaert, N., Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p.866.
n.17: These same stories, supplemented with four pictures and an additional article entitled “Transmission by Writing Presented to Master Cheng Youbo” were later included in …. Chengshi moyuan 程氏墨苑 (Mr. Cheng’s Ink Garden)….” n.18 Cf. Coblin (1997), p. 263.
See also Trigault, Xiru ermu zi 西儒耳目資.
Alt. version dig.pdf. [Ricci-Xizi qiji RGO_III 231-12].
Also included in: Li Madou Zhongwen zhuyi ji 利瑪竇中文著譯集.
Local access dig.pdf. [Ricci-Xiziqiji.pdf] |