On April 17, the Center for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society at Shanghai University hosted a lecture on “Early Modern Art and Cultural Exchange between the East and West.” The main speaker, Dr. Dong Shaoxin, outlined the exchange of artistic culture between China and Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries, focusing on two key mediums: missionaries and trade.
Dong Shaoxin is a research fellow and doctoral supervisor at the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies at Fudan University. He obtained his PhD in history in 2004 and spent two years studying in Lisbon, Portugal. His research areas include Sino-European relations, the history of Catholicism in China, the history of the East Asian maritime region, and Ming and Qing history. He has published several books, including Between Form and Spirit: A Historical Sketch of Early Western Medicine in China and Portuguese Jesuit Francisco da Rocha in China.
The scholar began the lecture by explaining his entry into the field of artistic and cultural exchange studies. He mentioned that artistic exchange is a crucial component in the study of early modern cultural exchange between Europe and China. His interest in the subject was sparked by his travels to European museums, castles, and antique shops, where he encountered numerous images and materials related to China.
The eastward transmission of Western art by primarily missionaries encompassed church architecture, religious paintings, and Western-style art in the Qing royal court.
After the missionaries' arrival, they established churches in various locations. However, most of the preserved churches date from the late Ming and Qing dynasties. These churches range from purely Western-style to Chinese-style and hybrids of both.
The images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus during this period were primarily presented through prints and oil paintings. The exquisite illustrations in Johann Adam Schall von Bell’s print “Presentation of Books and Images” were once favored by Emperor Chongzhen. The decorative paintings created by the renowned oil painter Lagret for a church in Guangzhou received high praise from Western missionaries at that time.
Some famous Western painters not only created numerous Western-style paintings but also trained Chinese students. In order to be acknowledged by Chinese emperors, these Western painters created an artistic style that combined both Chinese and Western elements.
Dong also discussed the westward transmission of Chinese images through missionaries. He noted that some of the images depicted in missionaries’ works were based on their personal observations, while others were created by European publishers based on their imagined views of China. The image of China portrayed in the works of the famous Jesuit missionary Athanasius Kircher, such as his “China Illustrated," became widely circulated in Europe.
Missionaries, who served as treasurers of the Jesuit order, returned to Europe with Chinese images and artifacts and published a series of books about China. Since they had personal experiences in China, their works and testimonies carried more credibility.
The westward transmission of Chinese material culture through trade encompassed exported porcelain, lacquerware, fans, and paintings that included watercolors, glass paintings, wallpapers, and gouache paintings. Dong primarily introduced a collection of exported porcelain and gouache paintings he purchased in France, providing explanations and analyses of these works.
At times, missionary activity and trade functioned together to facilitate cultural exchange. Some missionaries inquired about the production processes of porcelain while engaging in missionary work. The French Jesuit missionary Jean-Baptiste du Halde, for instance, wrote about the production techniques of Chinese ceramics in two lengthy letters, which were transmitted to Europe and greatly assisted European ceramic production. Although some of the ceramic production processes depicted in exported paintings were merely schematic, European ceramic factories nonetheless utilized them in their production.
Finally, the scholar shared three specific images formed through the exchange of Eastern and Western art and culture: an image of Jesus, an image of the Virgin Mary and Child, and a painting by Luo Pin titled “Ghost Amusement Scroll.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
4月17日，上海大学宗教与中国社会研究中心举办了“近代早期东西方艺术文化交流”的讲座。主讲人董少新通过传教士和贸易这两种主要媒介概括介绍了16-18世纪中国与欧洲之间的艺术文化交流。
讲座一开始董少新介绍了为何自己会进入艺术文化交流研究的领域。他提到，在欧洲与中国近代早期文化交流的研究中，艺术交流是重要组成部分；他在游历欧洲的博物馆、城堡和古玩店时看到了很多与中国有关的图像等资料，这也激发了他的研究兴趣。
以传教士为媒介的西洋艺术东传
以传教士为媒介的西洋艺术东传主要包括教堂建筑、宗教绘画和清宫西洋艺术等。
传教士来到中国后，会在很多地方建立教堂，但保留下来的教堂多为明清后期时期建立的。这些教堂有的是西式的，有的是中式的，也有的是中西合璧式的。
此时期的圣母像和天主像主要是通过版画和油画呈现的。汤若望的版画《进呈书像》中的精美插图曾受到了崇祯皇帝的喜爱。著名的油画师拉格特给广州一所教堂画的装饰画则受到了当时西洋传教士的高度赞扬。
一些著名的西洋画师，他们不仅创作了很多西洋画，而且也培养了中国学生。这些西洋画师为了取悦中国皇帝，创造出一种中西结合的艺术风格。
以传教士为媒介的中国图像西传
董少新表示，传教士的著作里绘制的图像有些是传教士根据亲眼所见绘制的；但也有很多是欧洲出版商根据他们想象中的中国景象绘制的。著名耶稣会士基歇尔的著作《中国图说》中塑造的中国形象在欧洲也广为流传。
作为耶稣会的司库回到欧洲的传教士，在回到欧洲时会带一些中国图像、实物回去，并且在欧洲出版了一系列有关中国的图书。由于他们有在中国的经历，他们的著作和说辞就更具说服力。
以贸易为媒介的中国物质文化西传
以贸易为媒介的中国物质文化西传主要包括外销瓷、外销漆器、外销扇和外销画等，外销画包括水彩画、玻璃画、壁纸和通草画等。董少新主要介绍了他在法国购买的一部分外销瓷和通草画，并且对这些画进行了解释和分析。
传教和贸易两种途径有时共同发挥作用
有传教士在传教时会询问瓷器的生产工艺流程。法国耶稣会士殷弘绪就曾将中国陶瓷的生产技术写进了两封长长的书信中，这些信传到欧洲后，对欧洲的陶瓷生产帮助很大。虽然有些外销画中的陶瓷工艺流程只是示意图，但欧洲陶瓷厂却将其用于陶瓷生产中。
最后，董少新具体分享了东西方艺术文化交流中形成的三幅图像：一幅天主像、一幅圣母圣子像以及一幅罗聘的《鬼趣图》。
董少新，复旦大学文史研究院研究员，博士生导师。2004年获得历史学博士学位，曾在葡萄牙里斯本访学2年。研究领域包括中欧关系史、中国天主教史、东亚海域史和明清史。出版了《形神之间——早期西洋医学入华史稿》、《葡萄牙耶稣会士何大化在中国》等专著。
学术讲座| 董少新：16-18世纪东西艺术文化交流的二种重要媒介——传教士和贸易
On April 17, the Center for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society at Shanghai University hosted a lecture on “Early Modern Art and Cultural Exchange between the East and West.” The main speaker, Dr. Dong Shaoxin, outlined the exchange of artistic culture between China and Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries, focusing on two key mediums: missionaries and trade.
Dong Shaoxin is a research fellow and doctoral supervisor at the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies at Fudan University. He obtained his PhD in history in 2004 and spent two years studying in Lisbon, Portugal. His research areas include Sino-European relations, the history of Catholicism in China, the history of the East Asian maritime region, and Ming and Qing history. He has published several books, including Between Form and Spirit: A Historical Sketch of Early Western Medicine in China and Portuguese Jesuit Francisco da Rocha in China.
The scholar began the lecture by explaining his entry into the field of artistic and cultural exchange studies. He mentioned that artistic exchange is a crucial component in the study of early modern cultural exchange between Europe and China. His interest in the subject was sparked by his travels to European museums, castles, and antique shops, where he encountered numerous images and materials related to China.
The eastward transmission of Western art by primarily missionaries encompassed church architecture, religious paintings, and Western-style art in the Qing royal court.
After the missionaries' arrival, they established churches in various locations. However, most of the preserved churches date from the late Ming and Qing dynasties. These churches range from purely Western-style to Chinese-style and hybrids of both.
The images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus during this period were primarily presented through prints and oil paintings. The exquisite illustrations in Johann Adam Schall von Bell’s print “Presentation of Books and Images” were once favored by Emperor Chongzhen. The decorative paintings created by the renowned oil painter Lagret for a church in Guangzhou received high praise from Western missionaries at that time.
Some famous Western painters not only created numerous Western-style paintings but also trained Chinese students. In order to be acknowledged by Chinese emperors, these Western painters created an artistic style that combined both Chinese and Western elements.
Dong also discussed the westward transmission of Chinese images through missionaries. He noted that some of the images depicted in missionaries’ works were based on their personal observations, while others were created by European publishers based on their imagined views of China. The image of China portrayed in the works of the famous Jesuit missionary Athanasius Kircher, such as his “China Illustrated," became widely circulated in Europe.
Missionaries, who served as treasurers of the Jesuit order, returned to Europe with Chinese images and artifacts and published a series of books about China. Since they had personal experiences in China, their works and testimonies carried more credibility.
The westward transmission of Chinese material culture through trade encompassed exported porcelain, lacquerware, fans, and paintings that included watercolors, glass paintings, wallpapers, and gouache paintings. Dong primarily introduced a collection of exported porcelain and gouache paintings he purchased in France, providing explanations and analyses of these works.
At times, missionary activity and trade functioned together to facilitate cultural exchange. Some missionaries inquired about the production processes of porcelain while engaging in missionary work. The French Jesuit missionary Jean-Baptiste du Halde, for instance, wrote about the production techniques of Chinese ceramics in two lengthy letters, which were transmitted to Europe and greatly assisted European ceramic production. Although some of the ceramic production processes depicted in exported paintings were merely schematic, European ceramic factories nonetheless utilized them in their production.
Finally, the scholar shared three specific images formed through the exchange of Eastern and Western art and culture: an image of Jesus, an image of the Virgin Mary and Child, and a painting by Luo Pin titled “Ghost Amusement Scroll.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
Lecture: Missionaries and Trade Bridged East-Western Art & Culture in the 16th-18th Centuries
