Showing 315 results

A set of four hanging scrolls, each containing pages from the book Pictures of Emperors (帝王像) printed on one continuous sheet and then mounted as a scroll. Compiled by scholar Xu Han (1797-1866) in the Qing dynasty, the book is a selection of certain rubbings taken from the stone carvings found in the Wu Liang Shrine (武梁祠) which dates to the Eastern Han dynasty in the 2nd century.

The scrolls include all pages from the book, including those depicting legendary sovereigns, such as the Yellow Emperor and Shennong, the four stories of filial piety as well as the ownership and appreciation inscription. Each scroll measures 53cm (w) x 135cm (h).

A reproduced rubbing of the calligraphy of the Chinese poem ‘Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess’ (洛神賦), signed by the Qing scholar Hu Gaowang (1730?-1798) in 1766, mounted onto a hanging silk scroll. The scroll measures 35cm (w) x 91cm (h).

Inscribed ‘This is a great curiosity’ at the top of the back of the scroll. A note, containing a free translation of the poem in English, was originally rolled into the scroll but has now been separated and stored together. At the back of it is two notes stating: ‘Translated by Harry Parkes’ and ‘The original roll was taken in a Piratical Junk by H. M. S. Rattler in Namguan Harbor. May 1853.’ Both the inscription and the notes are signed ‘A. M.’.

A printed facsimile of Book Six of the Chinese classical book Book of Documents (Shujing) in the format of a scroll, with added typographical marks in red. This version of the text was originally copied and annotated by Nakahara Yasutaka in 1330, and this facsimile was published by Toyo Bunko in 1939. This scroll is number 255 of a limited edition of 300 copies, and is accompanied by a thread-bound booklet containing explanatory text of the reproduction and the book.

The cardboard case in which the scroll was originally stored contains a printed title label and is inscribed ‘No 660 Shu Ching (BK 6. Facsimile reproduction)’. This refers to number 660 in Shelley Wang’s Chinese catalogue. The case has disintegrated into two pieces.

The scroll measures 930cm (w) x 25cm (h).

Two rubbings donated by William W. Rockhill, containing Chinese, Siddham and Tibetan writings.

Two rubbings of the inscription on the sides of the Nestorian (Xi'an) Stele, China, including the names of the priests and monks in Syriac and Chinese, as well as the Chinese inscription added in 1859 regarding a visit to the stele. Each of the rubbing is mounted onto a silk scroll measuring 29 x 246 cm.

The paper connecting the top stave of both scrolls is at risk of disintegration, so care must be taken when unrolling.

The personal papers of Christopher Gimson contain correspondence between him, the Society and Professor Eugénie Henderson from SOAS. These document Gimson's interest in and efforts towards encouraging the study of the history of Manipur.

The papers of Ulla Johansen contains a scanned typescript of her habilitation thesis entitled Die Schamanentrache bei den Tuvanern. Vorschläge zur Methodik der Schamanismusforschung written in 1968. The work is described as a study of shaman costume in Tuva and the wider region in Siberia and Mongolia. The typescript is stored on a CD but a digital copy has been made.

Stored with the CD is a printed email from Peter A. Andrews to Alison Ohta, RAS Director, explaining the context and the scanning of the work and donating it to the Society for preservation and use by researchers, dated 6 July 2024.

The papers of Papers of Betty Heimann contain her annotated typescript entitled 'Hindu Thought in Illustrations, a Primer in Indian Philosophy', a study of the concepts and systems of Hindu philosophy using visual aids which remains unpublished. The typescript contains two versions of the work. The first version, containing 96 pages and a preface dated March 1952, appears to be more complete and is interleaved with colour illustrations. Additionally, there is a set of photostat copies of the illustrations bearing the RAS stamp at the back.

An accompanying note states that the papers were received from Dr Ruth Gaevernitz on loan in 1967. There is a further letter from Gaevernitz to the Society in 1974 expressing their wish of having the book published as a whole, and that the Society should contact them if approached by a publisher.

Two articles and accompanying material sent by Thomas Hervey Baber to the Royal Asiatic Society. These are:

• 'Facsimiles of three Muhammedan Gold Coins, found on the Coast of Malabar' with associated material.
• 'Copy of a Translation in the Malayalam Arayam Character with an English translation.'

There is a single item in these Papers. This is the "Abstracts of Meteorological Diary for the Years 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819. Taken Eight Miles North-East of Fort William Calcutta". This a handwritten journal of daily weather conditions divided into monthly pages giving a general monthly summary, variations of the winds, thermometer, barometer and hygrometer readings, prevailing wind directions and remarks concerning the days' weather patterns. The manuscript is on foolscap sheets bound into a hardcover journal. The book is in fragile conditions, its boards have become separated and some of the pages are only loosely attached into the whole. Within the book is a loose sheet of paper on which wind calculations have been written.