EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

Section 8 21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 95 Tarasenko Anna (National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Saint Petersburg) Attribution Specification of Chinese Export Paintings in the Collection of Z.F. Leont’evsky Key words: Chinese export painting, Z. F. Leont’evskiy, attribution specification, collection of the National Library of Russia, XIX century China Throughout history Chinese artistic culture has developed a fairly complex system of diverse art forms and styles. Chinese export art, being created particularly to satiate constantly growing appetite of the Western world for Chinese goods, holds a specific place among them. However, Chinese export painting was considered as insignificant in terms of artistic merits; hence until recently it has never been taken as a subject of scientific research. The collection of the National Library of Russia (the NLR) possesses a number of Chinese export paintings. Among the materials kept there a collection of Zakhar Fedorovich Leont’evsky (fund 1272) draws close attention. Z. F. Leont’evsky was engaged in work of the 10th Rus- sian Orthodox Mission in Beijing. Having returned to Russia in 1831 with myriads of curiosities, he opened a Cabinet of Chinese curiosities in Saint Petersburg. However in 1868 Z. F. Leont’evsky sold a part of his painting collection to the Imperial Public Library (today the NLR), making a list of contents in his own hand. In 1993 it was included in a systematic catalogue compiled by K. S. Yakhontov “Chi- nese Manuscripts and Xylographs of the Public Library”. The whole collection was divided into several thematic groups: monuments, portraits, military scenes and views. The works were created by Chinese, European and Russian artists. The section “Views” can be determined as the most significant part of the collection, it includes more than 70 pieces of pictorial material (№ 16–84). The section comprises scenes which, according to the catalogue, depict the palace Yuanmingyuan 圆明园 (№ 20–22), the gates of the Beijing palace, city gates and other places of the Chinese capital and other cities (№ 27–45). It is noteworthy that a number of pictures represent places which no longer exist (“The Beijing palace’s southern gates Daqingmen 大清门 ”, № 28; “The Porcelain tower of Nanjing”, № 47). The artworks of the Leont’evsky’s collection had never undergone research. Teryukova Ekaterina (Saint Petersburg State University) Chinese Collection of the State Museum of the History of Religion and Sinologist V. M. Alexeev Key words: the State Museum of the History of Religion, Chinese collection, popular woodblock prints, sinologist V. M. Alexeev The presentation deals with the Chinese collection of the State Museum of the History of Religion in Saint Petersburg, its origin and experience of displaying. The Chinese collection of the State Museum of the History of Religion includes popular woodblock prints, amulets, rubbings, ritual objects and sculp- tures. The most valuable part of it is the Chinese popular woodblock prints collection. It numbers about 1000 items. It was collected and brought to Russia by prominent Russian sinologist V. M. Alexeev and became the subject of study of the joint Russia-Taiwan research project just recently. It was found out that great part of Alexeev’s collection was acquired by the Museum of the History of Religion in 1938. Some of woodblock prints and etampages were donated by the collector or received from the closed Leningrad State Anti-religious Museum situated in the former St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The reason for the Museum and academician V. M. Alexeev’s cooperation was the beginning of creation of new permanent exhibition department about Chinese religions in 1938 and preparation of few exhibitions introducing Chinese folk religions and art. Academician V. M. Alexeev participated in these projects as scientific adviser and the author of the exhibition plan. Alexeev`s travel diary in Chinese and explanation notes made by his Chinese teachers kept in the Museum Research Archive add exceptional significance to the Museum’s Chinese collection. Thanks to Alexeev’s manuscripts the Museum has multifold possibilities not only for the displaying of Chinese popular prints and ritual objects, but for the study of Chinese popular religion as well.