DKU Library is thrilled to announce the generous donation to Special Collections from Wenzhi Wang and his family of six volumes by Ringorō Ōnishi (大西林五郎) detailing Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Wenzhi Wang is a graduate of the Class of 2025, focusing on Chinese art history, with a Signature Work focusing on Qing dynasty porcelain under the guidance of Professor Kent Cao and academic adviser Professor Lei Lin. He will be attending the University of Pennsylvania for his graduate education in the East Asian Languages and Civilizations department.
The four volume set 《鑑定備考支那陶磁全書》 (Kantei Biko Shina Toji Zensho/The Complete Book of Chinese Ceramics) is a reference guide to Chinese ceramics published in Tokyo in 1917 and provides details on the ceramics industry in China from the Zhou to Qing dynasties.
The text provides information about the materials, coloring, and process of Chinese ceramics over time. While fine black-and-white illustrations are sprinkled throughout the text, though the highlights are 14 gorgeous color woodblock illustrations.
Similarly, the two volumes on the history of Japanese porcelain (published in 1919) provides an overview, including chapter titles such as: “Using porcelain for sake vessels,” “The Rise of Porcelain Kilns,” “Porcelain should not be completely destroyed,” and, sadly as the very next chapter, “Destroyed at the end of Hajime.” These volumes also have several chapters on the relationship between the Japanese and Chinese ceramics industries and cultural and technological transfers.
The National Diet Library of Japan has an excellent catalog record for both books, and of course you’re welcome to view them in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room at the library third floor room 3012:
- https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000000548002
- https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000000568493
We are so excited and grateful to have these six volumes here at DKU, and are looking forward to seeing how faculty, students, and staff utilize this new resource.
Building DKU Library Special Collections!
Ryder Kouba, Archives and Special Collections Librarian (rk391@duke.edu), welcomes everyone to get involved in preserving cultural heritage! Here are some ways for you to get involved:
Donate : As DKU’s Special Collections are in its infancy, we’re open to a wide variety of content and subjects, including local history (Kunshan or Jiangsu), Kunqu opera, maps, diaries, photographs, family history, academic research, teaching materials and the list goes on.
Collaborate: Students and faculty are encouraged to suggest and access archival materials for research or class projects. Archives and Special Collections Librarian is also happy to have students/interns work on projects with him.
Visit: LIB 3012 (Archives/Special Collections Reading Room) is open to DKU community. Please make an appointment with Archives and Special Collections Librarian on weekdays (9am to 5pm) in advance to pay for a visit, especially for classes/groups.
