Local access dig.pdf. [Ars Sacra Pekinensis.pdf]

A collection of 25 Christian-themed paintings in Chinese style on silk made in Beijing during 1947-1948 by artists associated with the Beijing Sacred Heart Church Department of Fine Arts. These paintings have as their primary subjects the Annunciation. Nativity and early life of Jesus and the Holy Familiy. 

These paintings were not originally mounted but apparently hastily boxed with many other items from the Catholic Church in Beijing and Shanghai and sent out of the country in 1949, eventually landing in France at a Jesuit residence in Lille. In 1993 the crate was found by Fr. Edward J. Malatesta, S.J., the Founder of the Ricci Institute, who had them sent to the University San Francisco, at that time home of the Institute.

The shipping crate contained over thirty unmounted paintings of varying quality and condition. After inspection, 25 of the best were chosen by Fr. Albert Chan, S.J., who arranged to have them cleaned and mounted in Hong Kong in 1994. From there they appeared in exhibitions in Hong Kong, Macau, Lisbon, San Francisco, and in later years, Sydney, Australia. 

The collection title "Icons of the Celestial Kingdom" or ("Celestial Icons") was coined by the organizers of these exhibitions..

[The Annunciation] / Lu Hongnian 陸鴻年 (John Lu Hung-nien).
Inscription: "一九四八年春日太倉陸鴻年敬繪於北平" (Spring, 1948, painted by Lu Hongnian [of] Taicang [Jiangsu Province] in Beiping). Calligraphy and seal on painting.
Chinese watercolors on silk, mounted as hanging scroll.
DESCRIPTION: Untitled depiction of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary surrounded by clouds with the dove of the Holy Spirit above. Figures and subject environment are entirely Chinese, done in the method suggested by Card. Celso Costantini during his tenure in the 1930's, and carried out in the 1940's by the Art Department of Furen Catholic University in Beijing. 

Exhibition catalog no. 13:

ANUNCIAÇÃO Seda Pequim, 1947 John Lu Hung-nien

聖母領報 緝 一九四七年， 北平 陸鴻年(若望)

THEANNUNCIATION Silk Peking, 1947 John Lu Hung-nien

[No Room at the Inn ] /   白慧群

Untitled, undated scroll painting signed by Bai Geng. 

[scroll painting, Celestial Icons : 2]

Catalog no.7 entry:

“ Não há lugar para eles na estalagem..”.

Seda - Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng).

“他們沒有地方投宿" - 緝 - Bai Huiqun  白慧群  [Bai Geng 白庚]

“There was no place for them to stay”-Silk - Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

[The Annunciation of the Angel to the Shepherds] / Luke Hua Xiaoxian 華效先 (路加)

Catalog item no. 2:

ANUNCIAÇÃO D0 ANJO AOS PASTORES - Seda sobre papel, 1948 Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

天使向牧羊人傳佈嘉訊 - 緝﹒ 一九四八年 - 華效先(路加)

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE ANGEL TO THE SHEPHERDS - Silk on paper, 1948 / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

The Nativity [scroll painting. Celestial Icons : 4] / 華效先( 路加)

Calligraphy on upper left edge: 耶穌聖誕圖 : 天神慶賀吾主

Catalog no.16

Natividade – Seda – Pequim, Kuang-an – Departamento de Arte, Igreja do Sagrado Coração, Luke Huan Hsiao-hsien

耶穌誕生 - 緝 - 北平廣安門聖J心堂美術部 / 華效先( 路加)

The Nativity – Silk – Peking [Beiping], Kuang-an Gate, Sacred Heart Church / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

Celestial Icons 5. The Nativity 耶穌誕生 / Lü Biyun 呂碧雲

Catalog No. 17:
Natividade - Seda - Pequim, Verão 1948 / Lu Bi-yün
耶穌誕生 - 緝 - 一九四八年夏， 北平 / 陸碧雲
Tne Nativity - Silk - Peking, Summer 1948 / Lu Bi-yün.

Celestial Icons 07. The Holy Family [scroll painting] /Bai Huiqun.

Catalog number 24
Sagrada Familia -Seda - Pequim,"Pintou na antiga capital" / Pai Hui-ch'un (Pai Keng)
聖家 - 緝 - 寫於古都北平 / 白慧群(白庚)
The Holy Family- Peiping - "Painted in the old capital" / Pai Hui-ch'un (Pai Keng)

Catalog no. 20
Educacão de Jesus (Segundo o modelo de umna pintura famosa da dinastia Ming) Seda - Pequim "Pintou na antiga capital” / Pai Hui-chün
耶穌受教育 (模仿明朝一幅名畫，絹 - 北平 / 白慧群
The Education of Jesus (Imitating a famous Ming dynasty painting) – SiIk - "Painted in the old capital" / Pai Hui-chün.

Exhibition Catalog no. 9
Jesus com Marta e Maria – Seda / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)
耶穌與瑪爾大及瑪利亞 - 緝 / 白慧群(白庚)
]esus with Martha and Mary – Silk / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

[Mary and Jesus Sitting among Bamboo and Ferns] /  Lü Shiyun 呂奭雲.
This item omittted from exhibition catalog.

Exhibition Catalog no. 6
Nossa Senhora com Flor na Mão Segurando o Menino Sentado sobre Balustrada – Seda – Pequim / John Lu Hung-nien.
配帶著花的聖母一手抱聖嬰, 倚欄而坐 - 緝 - 北平 / 陸鴻年(若望)
Our Lady with a Flower Holding the Child Seated on a Balustrade – Silk – Peking / John Lu Hung-nien.

Our Lady at the Spinning Wheel with the Child 紡織中的聖母與孩童耶穌 / Bai Huiqun 白慧群 [Bai Geng 白庚]

Exhinition Catalog number 22

Nossa Senhora Fiando e o Menino - Seda sobre papel - Pequim, Kuang-an Departamento de Arte, Igreja do Sagrado Coração / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

紡織中的聖母與孩童耶穌 - 緝 - 北平廣安門聖心堂美術部 / 白慧群(白庚)

Our Lady at the Spinning Wheel with the Child - Silk on paper - Peking, Kuang-an Gate Department of Art, Sacred Heart Church / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

Exhibition Catalog number 10

O Menino Aprendendo a Lição – Seda - Francis Kao Di-an

耶穌在朗誦 [背書] - 緝 – Gao Di’an 高提厂 [Francis Kao 方濟各 高提厂 ]

Jesus Reciting a Lesson -Silk - Francis Kao Di-an

Exhibition Catalog number 25
NOSSA SENHORA E 0 MENINO – Seda - Pequim, Kuang-an, Deparramento de Arte, Igreja do Sagrado Coração / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)
聖母與孩童耶穌 - 緝 - 北平慶、安門聖J心堂美術部 / 自慧群(白庚)
OUR LADY AND THE BOY JESUS – Silk - Peking, Kuang-an Gate, Department of Art, Sacred Heart Church / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

Exhibition catalog number 18
NOSSA SENHORA E 0 MENINO (segundoo modelo das pinturas em que damas descansam no ombro de serviçãis) – Seda - Pequim, Kuang-an Departamento de Arte, Igreja do Sagrado Coração de Jesus / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien
聖母與孩童耶穌 (以牌女們將頭靠在地們主人肩上的繪畫為藍本而繪製) - 緝 - 北平廣安門聖，心堂美術部 / 擎效先( 路加)
OUR LADY AND THE BOY JESUS (Modelled on paintings of women leaning on the shoulder of their maid servants) – Silk - Peking, Kuang-an Gate Department of Art, Sacred Heart Church / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

Exhibition Catalog number 12
NOSSA SENHORA COM 0 MENINO AO COLO ENTRE AS NUVENS – Seda - Pequim, 1947 / John Lu Hung-nien.
聖母抱嬰在雲中 - 緝 - 一九四七年，北平陸鴻年(若望).
OUR LADY CARRYING THE CHILD AMIDST THE CLOUDS – Silk - Peking, 1947 / John Lu Hung-nien

Exhibition catalog number 1
NOSSA SENHORA ENTRE AS NUVENS COM O MENINO AO COLO E 0 ANJO – Seda / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)
聖母抱著聖嬰與天使在雲中 - 緝 / 白慧群( 自庚)
OUR LADY WITH AN ANGEL AMIDST THE CLOUDS AND HOLDING THE CHILD – Silk / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

Exhibition Catalog number 11
NOSSA SENHORA SOBRE O CRESCENTE LUNAR – Seda /Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien.
新月上的聖母 - 緝 / 華效先( 路加)
OUR LADY ON THE CRESCENT MOON – Silk / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

Exhibition Catalog number 4
NOSSA SENHORA – Seda / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien
聖母 - 緝 / 華效先(路加)
OUR LADY – Silk / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

Exhibition Catalog number 3
NOSSA SENHORA ENTRE AS NUVENS – Seda - Pequim, Kuang-an Departamento de Arte, Igreja do Coração de Jesus / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien
雲中聖母 - 緝 - 北平廣安門聖，心堂美術部 / 華效先(路加)
OUR LADY AMIDST THE CLOUDS – Silk - Peking, Kuang-an Gate, Department of Art, Sacred Heart Church / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien.

Catalog no. 15

Nossa Senhora Brincando comum Papagaio – Seda - Pequim, Kuang-an Departamento de Arte, Igreja do Sagrado Coração / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

聖母逗鸚鵡 - 緝 - 北平廣安門聖心堂美術部 / 華效先(路加)

Our Lady Playing with a Parrot – Silk - Peking, Kuang-an Gate Department of Art，Sacred Heart Church / Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien

Exhibition Catalog number 26
DUAS SENHORAS A BORDAR (provavelmente Marta e Maria) – Seda - Pequim, Kuang-an, Junho 1948 - Deparamento de Arte, Igreja do Sagrado Coração / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)
兩位刺繡中的婦女一 (可能是瑪爾大及瑪利亞) - 緝， 一九四八年六月 北平廣安門聖J心堂美術部 / 白慧群(白庚)
TWO LADIES EMBROIDERING (Perhaps Martha and Mary) – Silk - Peking, Kuang-an Gate, June 1948, Department of Art, Sacred Heart Church / Pai Hui-ch'ün (Pai Keng)

Fanyu Tangyan : cong Tushanwan huaguan dao Furen huapai de yishu shijian 梵語唐言 : 從土山灣畫館到輔仁畫派的藝術實踐 ( (1583-1941) = L'histoire de la peinture catholique en Chine / Yao Peng, Tao Jianping bianzhou 姚鵬, 陶建平編著.
Includes bibliographical references.

第一章: 兩朝回顧
1．程氏墨苑 -- 2．玄宰筆書 -- 3．出像經解 -- 4．不得已辯 -- 5．墨井道人 -- 6．宮廷畫師

第二章: 山灣堂囝
7．篳路藍縷 -- 《救世主實行全圖》-- 《土山灣學校畫論》 -- 8．畫荻教子 -- 《透視學》-- 《鉛筆習畫帖》-- 9．後進卓犖 -- 《千奇萬妙》-- 《新史像解》

第三章: 畫館中興
10．道原精萃 -- 《萬物真源》 -- 《天主降生引義》-- 《天主降生言行紀略》-- 《宗徒大事錄》-- 《聖母傳》 -- 《宗徒列傳》-- 《教皇洪序》 -- 11．默思聖難 -- 12．古史像解

第四章: 梵語唐言
13．砥礪塞外 -- 狄化淳 -- 方希聖 -- 14．輔仁畫派 -- 陳緣督 -- 王肅達 -- 徐濟華 -- 陸鴻年 -- 李鳴遠 -- 王呈祥 -- 黃瑞龍 -- 同仁圈

跋
參考書目

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梵語唐言"是一部研究中國近代繪畫藝術嬗變歷史過程的學術專著.作者舉列自己蒐集的大量珍貴美術作品,分析了西方繪畫藝術對中國傳統審美觀念和表現手段的影響,著重從哲學角度探討清末民國以來中國畫家博採西方藝術理念,用於闡發中國民眾喜聞樂見的主題.作者側重介紹了被徐悲鴻譽為"中國西洋畫搖籃"的土山灣畫館,以及二十世紀四五十年代享譽世界的輔仁大學美術系.我國以往由於缺少實物參考,對這兩個美術機構的研究幾乎為空白,"梵語唐言"試圖在這個領域做一些有益的,建設性的探索.

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天主教在中國傳播耶穌福音，相伴而來的還有中國人眼中新異的歐洲繪畫藝術，不論明末清初，還是晚清民國，都對當時中國人的審美觀念有著潛移默化的影響，國人的鑑賞品位多了些濃墨淡雅，別樣馨香。同時期在歐洲，從宮廷到教會，時常不斷地收到來自東方的美術作品，以及對這個古老國家人文地理、民俗風情、科學藝術的介紹，豐富了那里人們對“遠在天邊”的類族之了解，調整著自身的思想內涵和文化格局。東海西海，心理攸同。

　 　“東西來去”帶來的不僅是文化的碰撞和交流，也改變著行為主體自身的方式和態度。從利瑪竇的“適應政策”，到“禮儀之爭”，再到“本地化”實踐，一條波浪曲線勾勒出天主教在中國的積極探索、保守搖擺和無奈選擇。天主教在中國從一群心揣理想、無依無靠的“探險者”，經過兩百餘年的披荊斬棘，成為中國第一次“對外開放”或日“第一次現代化進程”的參與者、推動者、見證者，又是利益攸關者，也是最大的受惠者之一。否極泰來，盛極而衰。世間事物難逃自然規律和社會進程的魔咒。第二次世界大戰打亂了世界以及中國文明的進程，前所未有的經濟能力的縮水和社會財富的滅失，使得這個社會難以供養寄附生存的宗教機構。不僅天主教如此，中國的其他宗教也是如此。百教凋敝。皮之不存，毛將焉附。何論繪畫？

　　從土山灣畫館到輔仁畫派的藝術實踐，人們在中國天主教繪畫嬗變中看到了什麼？第一，藝術即工具。最初下水嘗試者往往謹小慎微，小心翼翼地模仿歐洲同行的成熟作品，為其之用。他們的目的尚不清晰，僅僅為了滿足宣教需要。其中有些人久居中國，受中國文化的少許感染，提出“本地化”實踐更符合傳播耶穌基督福音的效果，比如范世熙神父，他提出了聖像畫繪製的改進方向，自己卻沒有做更多具體嘗試，與他在中國從事美術工作的時間短暫不無關係。第二，藝術即目的。土山灣畫館有賴於文化涵養深厚的一代領導人的遠見卓識，把一間默默無聞的加工聖像畫的作坊，建成蜚聲十里洋場的西洋畫教育和培訓基地，奠定了西洋藝術在中國傳播的基礎，生根開花結果，新生代藝術家從這裡走向全國。土山灣畫館繪畫藝術的內涵和外延給時代帶來的更多的不是天主教主題的變化，而是繪畫技藝的引進、鑑賞力的豐富以及世俗化的擴張。第三，藝術即存在。顧名思義，“本土化”實踐本質上是外來的思想和觀念與引入地傳統的融合過程，外來的東西蛻化揚棄，本土的傳統脫塵不凡。輔仁畫派歷存三十餘年，中經戰爭罹難，“本土化”實踐成果得到國際美術界充分肯定，是極少數公認的中國繪畫流派之一。對於那些才華橫溢的畫家來說或許往事如煙，然而他們出神入化的藝術作品一定會流芳百世。

Paintings by John Lu Hongnian, Bai Huiqun Bai Geng), Lü Shiyun, Luke Hua Xiaoxian, Francis Gao Ti'an (Tihan), et al. done for the Dept. of Art, Sacred Heart Church : Guang'anmen: Shengxintang meishubu. This album is a digitized archive of the scrolls in the Ricci Institute collection used in the "Icons of the Celestial Kingdom" exhibition.
Photographed and digitized by Kaz Tsuruta. 25 scroll paintings: photos (with CD-ROM .tif images, printed thumbnails, and enlarged details of the artists seals and signatures. 

1. The Annunciation. Silk, Beijing, 1947, John Lu Hongnian. - 2. BETHLEHEM INN. Silk, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 3. ANGEL ANNOUNCING TO THE SHEPHERDS. Silk, 1948, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 4. NATIVITY (WITH ANGELS). Silk, Beijing, Guang’an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 5. THE NATIVITY (WITH SHEPHERDS). Silk, Beijing Summer 1948, Lü Biyun. 6. THE VISIT OF THE MAGI. Silk, Guang'an Gate,1948, Sacred Heart Church, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 7. THE HOLY FAMILY (MANGER). Silk, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 8. THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT. Silk, Beijing, Guang'an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Lü Biyun. 9. HOLY FAMILY (LESSONS). Silk, Beijing, "Painted in the old capital" Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 10. JESUS WITH MARTHA AND MARY. Silk, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 11. MOTHER AND CHILD (BANANA TREE). Silk, John Lü Biyun. 12. MOTHER AND CHILD (FLOWER). Silk, Beijing, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 13. MOTHER AND CHILD (SPINNING). Silk, Beijing, Guang'an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 14. MOTHER AND CHILD (RECITING LESSON). Silk, Francis Gao Ti'an (Tihan) 15. MOTHER AND CHILD (WRITING). Silk, Beijing, Guang’an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 16. MOTHER AND CHILD (WRITING). Silk, Beijing, Guang'an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 17. MOTHER AND CHILD (Imitating a famous Ming painting). Silk, Beijing, “Painted in the old capital”, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 18. MOTHER LEANING ON CHILD (PINE TREE). Silk, Beijing, Guang’an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 19. MOTHER AND CHILD (CLOUDS). Silk, Beijing, 1947, John Lu Hongnian. 20. MOTHER AND CHILD (ANGEL, CLOUDS). Silk, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng). 21. OUR LADY ON THE CRESCENT MOON. Silk, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 22. OUR LADY (OPEN HANDS). Silk, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 23. OUR LADY (CLASPED HANDS). Silk, Beijing, Guang’an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 24. OUR LADY (PARROT). Silk, Beijing, Guang’an Gate, Sacred Heart Church, Luke Hua Xiaoxian. 25. TWO LADIES (ONE IS TAKEN, ONE IS LEFT). Silk, Beijing, Guang’an Gate, 1948, Bai Huiqun (Bai Geng).

"One important dimension of Chinese art in the first half of the 20th century was an emphasis on individualism which emerged in the context of nationalist fervor. At the same time, together with an increased exposure to foreign ideas, there was a sense of identification with the culture of the past. These characteristics came together in a Chinese Christian school of painting which arose in Beijing between the two world wars at the Catholic University of Beijing, but lasted only until 1949. The university was founded by American Benedictine monks from Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1925. Two years later, the Ministry of Education recognized it under the Chinese name Furen, an expression taken from the Analects of Confucius (Book XII, ch.24) which can be translated "promotion of righteousness."
The University had an art department which stressed Chinese traditional painting. By 1943 a separate section of European art had been added. Several faculty members began to paint Christian subjects in Chinese style. They were encouraged by Archbishop Celso Costantini (1876-1958), first Apostolic Delegate of the Vatican to China. He had been a devotee of the arts for many years. Already in 1923, one year after his assignment to China, he had encouraged the development of a distinctive Chinese Christian art. He had four beliefs: Western style art is a style unsuited to China; Western Christian art used in China gives the impression that Christianity is a Western, not universal religion; the Church throughout its history has adopted and adapted local art forms; Chinese art and culture provide many opportunities for adoption and adaptation. In 1937, the first Chinese Catholic Art Exhibit was held at Furen University.

Luke Chen, a prominent leader of the Furen University painters, in describing this Chinese Christian art form said: "I believe that when I paint the wonders of Christianity according to the ancient rules of Chinese art, the painted object exerts an externally new and unusual effect, so that at the same time I enrich to a marked degree, the old rules of Chinese painting."
This observation of Luke Chen rings true. Similar to the icons of the Russian and Greek Churches, Christian paintings in Chinese style inspire a certain sense of divinity and reverence.

The paintings displayed in this exhibit were all painted on silk in Beijing about the 1930s and 1940s. They were brought to France shortly thereafter. In 1992 they were acquired by the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History of the Center for the Pacific Rim at the University of San Francisco. The paintings were mounted on scrolls in Hong Kong through the kindness of the Instituto Cultural de Macau after an exhibit in Macau from November 1994 to January 1995. The Paintings were then displayed at the Missao de Macau in Lisbon from December 1995 to March 1996. Later in 1996 they were exhibited in San Francisco at the Pacific Heritage Museum.
The paintings presented here have as their main subjects Jesus; Mary, the Mother of Jesus; Joseph the husband of Mary and guardian of Jesus. The themes are inspired from the gospels, the basic Christian documents which treat the life and teachings of Jesus, His death and resurrection. The paintings on exhibit are inspired especially by those parts of the gospels which treat the announcement of the coming of Jesus, Son of God from heaven into the world; His birth; His childhood. Only one painting here portrays Jesus as an adult. Some of the paintings of Mary depict her surrounded by clouds to express her special closeness to Heaven.
In other parts of the world, such as Rome, Sankt Augustin (Germany) and Taipei, original paintings from the Furen school can still be found. These also represent episodes from the life of Christ as narrated in the four gospels, and the range of themes is broader.

The paintings were mounted on scrolls in Hong Kong through the kindness of the Instituto Cultural de Macau after an exhibit in Macau from November 1994 to January 1995. The paintings were then displayed at the Missão de Macau in Lisbon from December 1995 to March 1996. Later in 1996 they were exhibited in San Francisco at the Pacific Heritage Museum and at Grace Cathedral. In 1998 they were exhibited at the USF Thacher Gallery, and in 2008 they were shown at the St. Aloysius College in Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day." -- from the exhibit program by Fr. Edward Malatesta, S.J.

Our Lady of China : Marian devotion and the Jesuits / Jeremy Clarke.
Includes bibliographical references.
Online at Internet Archive.
Local access dig.pdf. [Clarke-Our Lady of China.pdf]

I. Introduction
II. Historical Background -- The Pre-Suppression Period -- Sodalities Become the Cornerstone -- Early Images of Mary -- The Nineteenth Century.
III. Pilgrimages, Shrines, and Paintings -- Marian Devotion at Donglu --The Donglu Portrait of Mary -- The Tushanwan Orphanage.
IV. From Donglu to Our Lady of China -- The Shanghai Plenary Council of 1924 --Consecrating China to Mary --A New Image for a New Title.
V. Conclusion.

Our Lady of China [Nostra Domina de Sina 中華大聖母] orig. Our Lady of Donglü 東閭聖母 /  Fan Yinru 范殷儒 [alt. 范應儒], ca. 1870-?

N.B. This item will be undergoing restoration and reframing from Sept. 3, 2024-Dec. 2024 (estimated).

The following evaluation and report on this painting was completed by Prof. William H. Ma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Art History, School of Art, College of Art + Design, Louisiana State University:

Originally kept in the sacristy of the Saint Ignatius Church on the campus of the University of San Francisco, the painting Our Lady of China was relocated to the new Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College in 2022. 

As one of the earliest surviving iterations of this well-known Marian image, it was made specifically for the Chinese Catholic community around the world.  Versions of the icon were and continue to be circulated as prayer cards, statues, and other sacred images.[1]  The same image is worshipped on the altar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of China in Tainan, Taiwan, and variations are found in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. and at the Beitang Cathedral in Beijing.  The origin and propagation of the image have been the subject of many Catholic publications since the painting’s inception in the early twentieth century, and recently it has been the subject of several academic studies.[2]  The renewed interest was due in part, to the image’s connections to the infamous Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908). 

The origin of the Marian image was intimately associated with the Boxer Uprising.  An anti-foreign grassroots movement largely composed of desperate Chinese peasants, the Uprising targeted Christian churches throughout northern China.  The miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary was said to have protected the church and the lives of Chinese parishioners at the village of Donglu.  As a gesture of thanksgiving, the Lazarian missionary René Flament wanted a “beautiful painting of the Holy Virgin” for the newly repaired altar at the church.[3]  His superiors from the nearby city of Baoding suggested the painting workshop at Tushanwan in Shanghai as the place to paint a new image of the Virgin Mary and Child, which would become Our Lady of Donglu.[4] 

[1] See for example, “Our Lady of China,” The Cardinal Kung Foundation. http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/pm/PMourladyofchina.php.

[2] At least three articles published in Catholic magazines discuss the Marian image: “Notre-Dame de Chine,” Le Bulletin Catholique de Pékin 141 (May 1925), “Notre-Dame de Chine” Le Bulletin Catholique de Pékin 161 (January 1927), and J. de Lapparent, S. J., “Correspondance et Renseignements: N. D. de Chine – Regina Sinarum,” Bulletin Catholique de Pékin (1941).  For more recent articles, see Jean-Paul Wiest. "Marian Devotion and the Development of a Chinese Christian Art during the Last 150 Years," in Jidu zongjiao yu Jindai Zhongguo基督宗教与近代中国 Multi-aspect Studies on Christianity in Modern China, edited by GU Weiying 古伟瀛 and ZHAO Xiaoyang赵晓阳 (Beijing: Shehui kexue wenxian chubanshe, 2011): 187-221; Jeremy Clarke, S.J., “Our Lady of China, Marian Devotion and the Jesuits,” Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits 41/3 (Autumn 2009): 1-47; and the chapter “Our Lady of Donglu” in his book The Virgin Mary and Catholic Identities in Chinese History (Hong Kong University Press, 2013). 

[3] “Notre-Dame de Chine,” Bulletin Catholique de Pèkin 141(?) (May 1925): 172.

[4] “Notre-Dame de Chine,” Le Bulletin Catholique de Pèkin 141(?) (May 1925): 172.

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Founded in the late 1840s, Tushanwan 土山灣 (also written as T’ou-sé-wé or variations of it), the art and craft workshops were part of the larger Catholic community of Xujiahui 徐家匯 (Zikawei) west of Shanghai.  At its height, there were more than 200 Chinese orphaned boys and 100 adults being trained and working at the different workshops, which included printing, painting, shoemaking, metalwork, and woodcarving.[1]  Both the painting and printing workshops at Tushanwan had become well-known throughout Shanghai and Catholic communities around the world by the early twentieth century, excelling in religious and secular products.  It is unsurprising that Tushanwan was chosen to fulfill this important commission. 

The painting drew inspiration from the Virgin of the Host by the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and the Infant Jesus of Prague, but the most noticeable model came from an unlikely source – a photograph of the Empress Dowager Cixi.  Though blamed for her support of the Boxer Uprising, she was still the most powerful figure in the last years of the Qing dynasty in China.  To rescue the damages inflicted on her reputation during the Boxer Uprising, she launched a publicity campaign during the first decade of the twentieth century, making her images publicly available by distributing her photographic likeness and sending her portrait to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.  Tushanwan painters appropriated one of these photographs as a model for Our Lady of Donglu.  They kept her postures and costumes, replaced her head, and added the Christ child.  While most of the traditional Chinese auspicious symbols and motifs on the costume remained, some were substituted with ones important for Catholicism.  For example, the character for longevity (shou 壽), stylized into a medallion pattern, appears as IHS.  By replicating the visual language of Qing imperial authority, the artists translated European concept of royalty (as in the Queen of Heaven) into a form better suited for a Chinese audience.

This hybrid Chinese Marian image appeared during a time when the Catholic Church was moving toward greater indigenization in its missionary efforts.  When the first plenary council of the Catholic Church in China was held in Shanghai in 1924, Delegate Apostolic Celso Costantini (1873-1958) visited the Tushanwan workshops.  He singled out Our Lady of Donglu among several images of the Holy Mother to be designated as the “Notre Dame de China.”[2]  Soon after, prints of the painting were made, each with the title “Zhonghua shengmu 中華聖母,” or Our Lady of China.  Our Lady of Donglu was thus transformed into Our Lady of China.  In 1941, Pope Pius XII dedicated a feast day for Our Lady of China on the Catholic liturgical calendar - the same day as Mother’s Day.[3] 

Though variations and reinterpretations of this iconic painting abound, only a small number of the original paintings from Tushanwan are extant.  The Chinese painter Fan Yinru 范殷儒 (or 范應儒, c. 1870 - ?) was tasked with the Donglu commission when it arrived at the Tushanwan painting workshop.  Having been trained at Tushanwan starting at a young age, Fan was one of the more seasoned painters employed by the workshop.  Only a handful of Fan’s works survived, and the oil painting Our Lady of China at the Ricci Institute is one. 

[1] William Ma, “The Tushanwan Pagoda Models,” in A Collection of Pagodas: 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Mee-Seen Loong Fine Art LLC (2014), 8.

[2] P. J. de Lapparent, S. J., “Correspondance et Renseignements,” 359.

[3] See “Our Lady of China,” The Cardinal Kung Foundation.  http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/pm/PMourladyofchina.php.

His signature can be found in the lower-right corner in red, hidden in the pattern of the red floral carpet: “Wei-Yn(?)-Zu,” a French transliteration of Fan’s name in Shanghainese.[1]  Below his signature is “T. S. W.,” or T’ou-sé-wé (Tushanwan).

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This is also one of the earliest paintings of Our Lady of Donglu/China.  The original painting Our Lady of Donglu arrived at the Church of Donglu in 1909 and it is now lost.  To the author’s knowledge, there are two oil paintings and one wood pyrography of Our Lady of Donglu/China from the early twentieth century.  The pyrography is in a private collection in China.  One of the two paintings is in the collection of the Vatican.  Sent by Tushanwan for the 1925 Vatican Mission Exposition, the date 1924 and “T.S.W.” are inscribed on the painting.  The Ricci Institute painting bears a close resemblance to the Vatican painting. It is unclear how Ricci Institute painting first arrived at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco, but one Chinese scholar has made the intriguing suggestion that it was part of the Tushanwan exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where a spacious area was reserved for the spectacular woodworks from Tushanwan at the Palace of Education.[2]  Since many items from the exhibition found homes in the Bay Area, including St. Ignatius Church, it is plausible this painting arrived in San Francisco at that time.[3]  

[1] Both variations of his name, either with 殷 or 應, are pronounced the same way in Shanghainese.  I thank Zhang Xiaoyi 张晓依 for her assistance on pronunciation and translation. 

[2] ZHANG, Xiaoyi  张晓依. “Tushanwan 《Zhonghua shengmu xiang》 canzhan Banama Taipingyang shibohui beihou de gushi 土山湾《中华圣母像》参展巴拿马太平洋世博会背后的故事.” Xuhui wenmai 徐汇文脉2 (2014): 58-67.

[3] All the identified items from Tushanwan exhibited at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition were relocated from St. Ignatius Church to the new home of the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College in 2022.  They include a large hutch, two small corner cabinets, a teak storage chest, and Our Lady of China painting. 

The Virgin Mary and Catholic identities in Chinese history / Jeremy Clarke, SJ.
Includes bibliographical references (pages [201]-263) and index.

Pt. 1. Images of Mary in China before 1842 -- 1.Chinese Christian art during the pre-modern period -- Katerina Ilioni of Yangzhou -- Madonna and Guanyin -- Marian images during the late Ming dynasty -- The Madonna in Master Cheng's Ink Garden -- Marian sodalities -- João da Rocha and the rosary -- pt. 2 The Chinese Catholic Church since 1842 -- 2. After the treaties -- French Marian devotions -- The effects of the Chinese Rites Controversy -- A sense of cultural superiority -- The influence of Marian events in Europe -- 3. Our Lady of Donglu -- Visual influences on the Donglu portrait -- Photographs of Cixi -- Liu Bizhen's painting -- 4. The rise and fall of the French protectorate Benedict XV and Maximum Illud -- Shanghai Plenary Council, 1924 -- Synodal Commission -- pt. 3 Images of Mary in the early twentieth century -- 5.The Furen art department -- The creation of the Catholic University of Peking -- The emergence of Chinese Christian art -- Celso Costantini and Luke Chen Yuandu -- 6. The Chinese dimension to the Furen Christian art -- Art as a catechetical tool -- Marian paintings -- Sheshan Shengmu.

Dig.pdf. local access. [Clarke-Virgin Mary.pdf]