Per un Restauro del Barb.or. 147: Osservazioni sulle prime incisioni calcografiche in Oriente

Journal article

During the full restoration of Barb. or. 147 in the Vatican Apostolic Library, we rediscovered a remarkable encounter between East and West: the Thirty-six Views of the Summer Villa of Jehol, engraved by Matteo Ripa for Emperor Kangxi between 1712 and 1714. The work, carried out in the Library’s Conservation Workshop, required dismantling and revising the fragile original structure—its engravings, binding, and silk cover. This careful intervention not only safeguarded the volume but also deepened our understanding of its material and artistic essence. Parallel comparative research identified other existing copies in European, American, and Asian institutions, and revealed four unpublished prints in the Vatican Library. The analysis of technical data, bindings, and mounting solutions offered new insights into the work’s production and later circulation. Ultimately, the restoration revived a masterpiece that stands as a tangible witness to the first experiments with copper engraving in the East and to the cultural dialogue between Europe and China.

Authors: Castelletti, MR; Valdelvira, SD; Tsunoda, M

• Alternative title: Conserving Barb.or. 147: The Introduction of Etching in Qing China, including the Appendix: “Thirty-six views of the Imperial Summer Palace at Jehol”: Two Albums at the British Museum and the Bodleian Library curated by Makiko Tsunoda
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Brill
• Journal: The Vatican Library Review
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 183-214
• Publication date: 2025-12-18
• Acceptance date: 2025-09-01
• DOI: 10.1163/27728641-00402008
• EISSN: 2772-8641
• ISSN: 2772-8633
• Language: Italian, English
• Keywords: Matteo Ripa; Thirty-six Views of the Summer Villa of Jehol; emperor Kangxi; missionary artists; Barb.or.147; book restoration; conservation treatments; engraving techniques; etching; landscape gardening