Notes
Aleni’s Xifang dawen (A Geography of the Countries) is the subject of John L. Mish’s study (Mish 1964).
Aleni’s portrait, in wood-block form, may be found in Taixi Siji Ai xiansheng yulu (Quotations from Master Ai from the Great West), post-1649, collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, MS Fonds Chinois 1017-II. It shows him in the Chinese mode of dress adopted by the missionaries.
The copy in use here is the one found in the archives of the BAV: Borgia, Cinese, 350 (30).
BAV: Borgia, Cinese, 350 (30), juan 2, 11b. The inscription on the illustration may be rendered as a “large (in appearance) maritime vessel, which contains many thousand men” (Haibo guangda rongzai qian yu ren). The illustration is reproduced in Curtis 2009.
Aleni deliberately made no mention of the tension between the church, state, and the Protestant reformation, or any warfare between the European nations.
BAV: Borgia, Cinese, 350 (30), juan 1, 18a. Aleni’s curious reference to a bridge with three arches may allude to one of the designs submitted for the Rialto bridge competition held in the late 1500s. They may have been incorporated into Tirali’s 1668 plans for the Ponte dei Tre Archi, which was erected on the Cannaregio canal.
BAV: Borgia, Cinese, 350 (30), juan 1, 19a-19b. Eugenio Menegon (1994: 143) refers to Murano’s glass as being “the first in the world” (Il primo al mondo).
APF: Scritture Originali della Congregazione Particolare dell’Indie e Cina, vol. 7, f. 479-480.
The term procurator in the Society of Jesus of that day had three different meanings. One of them referred to a Jesuit elected by confrères of a given geographical region or province (Witek 1999: 317- 40).
Rouleau 1962: 279-281, 311.
ARSI: Japonica/Sinica, vol. 138.
Rouleau 1962: 277-8, 312 (note 10).
“Sono ora stima le cosé lavorate con smalto bené le piccole, e di smalto di Venezia, …Tabacchiere specialmte smaltaté.” ASV: Fondo Albani, vol. 249, f. 59v, 4 January 1706.
For further details about Stumpf’s glass-making activities, see Curtis 2001.
APF: Scritture riferite nei Congressi, (Indie orientali e Cina), vol. 9, f. 258v, 24 or 25 February 1706.
See ARSI: Japonica/Sinica vol. 137, f. 53v, and APF: Scritture riferite nei Congressi, (Indie orientali e Cina) vol. 9, f. 258v.
APF: Scritture riferite nei Congressi, (Indie orientali e Cina) vol. 9, f. 276v.
APF: Scritture riferite nei Congressi, (Indie orientali e Cina) vol. 12, f. 344, 27 April 1713.
Guoli Gugong bowuyuan 1977: vol. 6, 602-06. Also Chang 1991: 99.
Liu 1991: 52, and Guoli Gugong bowuyuan 1977: vol. 7, 357-58. Zuo Shiyong was provincial military commander of Guangxi.
Werner 2008: 71-3.
ARSI: Japonica/Sinica 186, f. 55-59v, 31 July 1725, f. 58.
Zhang 1986: 343.
Shi and Zhou 1993: 102-5.
APF: Scritture riferite nei Congressi, (Indie orientali e Cina) vol.14, f. 139v, 8 September 1715.
D’Incarville 1812: vol. 3, 126-7.
ARSI: Japonica/Sinica 186, f. 55-59v, 31 July 1725, f. 58.
A list of the Persone Destinate per il Servizio dell’ Impe may be found in APF: Scritture Originali della Congregazione Particolare dell’ Indie e Cina, vol. 30, f. 52, 1721. Among these were sculptor Giovanni Giorgio Sippel (Scipel); painter Michele Arailza; and Niccolò Tomacelli, C.R.M., who was held in esteem for his painting on enamel.
ASV: Fondo Albani 263, f. 54, 1719. Nota de’ Regali chesi potrebbero mandare in Cina.
Chen 1932, Document 6, as translated by Antonio Sisto Rosso (Rosso 1948: 299-300).
APF: Scritture Originali della Congregazione Particolare dell' Indie e Cina, vol. 26, f. 295v, 3 May 1711, and vol. 26, f. 559, ca. 1713.
Ju 1989: 8 and 16, n. 37.
ASV: Fondo Albani 263, f. 54-55, 1719.
ASV: Fondo Albani 263, f. 55.
ASV: Fondo Albani 263, f. 341v.
Rosso, using western calendar dates, gives Mezzabarba’s audience at court, 31 December; and the presentation of the Pope’s gifts, 2 January 1721 (Rosso 1948: 208, note 34).
OFM: Archivio Generale, Ripa, M/H 8/1 (A-72), 1721, p. 23. Mezzabarba made a further presentation of gifts to the throne, some of which were glass wares.’ (Rosso 1948: 377-81). However, in the absence of any further details, we remain uncertain as to their origins. The Papal Legation left Beijing in March 1721, without attaining any of the concessions sought by the Holy See.
APF: Scritture Originali della Congregazione Particolare dell’Indie e Cina, vol. 29, f. 139-151, 1718-1720. I am indebted to Paolo Zecchin for his transcription, translation and annotations of this document.
“3 Belliconi o vero Bicchieri grandi con piede alto assai, e suoi coverchi, il corpo de quali è di Cristallo smaltato con filigrana bianco, e nel piede di detti vi sono un gran quantità di fiori smaltati di molti colori, e sopra de’ coverchi vi sono i suoi gran mazzi di fiori pure smaltati di varij colori et in due di esse vi è sopra Colomba, e nell’altro un fiori più grande.” While the term Belliconi may have been derived from the German word Willkommhumpen (a salutation drinking glass), the word itself refers to a quite different goblet.
“Nota de Cristalli divisi in quattro Casse provedute a Venezia da Mons. Nunzio Aldrobrandini, che si ritroveranno a Genova in potere del S.e Agostino dell’Ecc.mo Sig.e Silvestro Grimaldi.”
“Nota de’ Regali che dovranno presentarsi in nome della Santità di Nostro Sig.re Papa Clemente XI all’Imperadore della Cina et altri della di lui Corte da Mons. Patriarca Mezzabarba, destinato nuovo Visitatore Apostolico in quei Regni, proveduti a tenore delle insinuazioni di quelli Missionari che passarono alla Cina coll’antecedente spedizione del fu sig.re Cardinale di Tournon, e sono ritornati in Roma.” APF: Scritture Originali della Congregazione Particolare dell’Indie e Cina, vol. 29, f. 148. Apparently some of the glass was sent to Ripa (Nota delle Balle mandate a Ripa...) for use by Mezzabarba.
“n.1 Cassa dorata con sei Boccie di Cristallo di Boemia e suoi coperchi simili a vite con diversi liquori”. Ibid., f. 150v.
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze, Mss Palatini, 1115, xxvi, 1.
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze, Mss Palatini, 1115, xxvi, f. 363 or 364(?). These pages are unmarked.
Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa, F. G. 178, f. 25v-26v.
Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa, F. G. 178, f. 25v-26v.
BAV: Borgia, Cinese, 511, (6).
Witek 1982: 253-255.
Witek 1982: 253-255.
BAV: Borgia, Latino, 565, f. 112-121. Catalogue des presents envoies par l’empereur de la Chine – au roy [sic] de Portugal, f. 121v-122.
Ibid.
Curtis 1999: 149-52.
See note 50.
Biblioteca del Convento di S. Francesco. Bologna, vol. 29, ms 22, f. 254-255v. This manuscript was written by Sostegno Maria Viani, OSM, who had accompanied Mezzabarba throughout the entire course of the China mission. An unauthorized “account” was published with Viani’s name in 1739.
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