GULIK, Robert van. Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Dynasty, with an Essay on Chinese Sex Life from the Han to the Ch’ing Dynasty, B.C. 206 – A.D. 1644 [Facsimile of the original 1951 edition].

GULIK, Robert van. Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Dynasty, with an Essay on Chinese Sex Life from the Han to the Ch’ing Dynasty, B.C. 206 – A.D. 1644 [Facsimile of the original 1951 edition]. [n.d.]

8vo. Original soft card covers lettered to front cover and spine; pp. [6], xvi, [16], 242, [2], 258, [26]; illustrated with 4 photographic colour plates and numerous in-text and full-page illustrations and photographs; light toning and general shelfwear, corners a little bumped; very good.

Facsimile edition of Van Gulik’s pioneering study of Chinese erotic art and sexual culture, originally issued in an edition of 50 copies in 1951.

The work is divided into three main sections: a historical survey of Chinese erotic literature, a study of erotic pictorial traditions, and an annotated translation of the Hua-Ying-Chin-Chen, a classical Chinese erotic text. Originally published in a private edition, Van Gulik’s study was at once scholarly and controversial, reflecting his deep engagement with aspects of Chinese culture far beyond the bounds of conventional academic inquiry.

Van Gulik pursued a career as a diplomat, but his true passion lay in the study of Chinese history and culture. His daily routine involved a few hours at his government desk, followed by intensive work in the library over lunch, a return to official duties, and long nights devoted to translation, illustration, scholarly writing, and the composition of his Judge Dee detective novels. Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Dynasty stands as one of the most distinctive and uncompromising expressions of his wide-ranging sinological interests.

Evers, p. 17 (original 1951 edition).

SKU: 2122746