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MS 7162 Book of Chinese watercolor paintings illustrating modes of punishment

National Museum of Natural History

MS 7162 Book of Chinese watercolor paintings illustrating modes of punishment
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
Finding aid
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .

Object Details

sova.naa.ms7162
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw33857cdd7-23a3-4771-8d71-d8ad2f802480
Local Numbers
USNM Accession Number: 4505 USNM Catalog Number: 21249
Variant Titles
Punishment with strong sword blades Xing ren zhuang ren
Collector
Morse, Charles H.
Place
East Asia
China
Topic
Corporal punishment
China trade watercolor painting
Provenance
The album was donated to the United States National Museum by Charles H. Morse of the U. S. Pension Office in 1876. A note indicates that it was "procured from China in 1825." The album and accompanying notes were transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives by Chang-su Houchins in February 1985.
Collector
Morse, Charles H.
Culture
Chinese
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MS 7162 Book of Chinese watercolor paintings illustrating modes of punishment
Historical Note
Chinese export watercolors were painted in the port cities of China for sale to western customers in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the watercolors were done in sets such as trades, domestic interiors and gardens, boats, birds, mandarins, and punishments.
Extent
1 Volume (cloth-bound album containing 12 watercolor paintings on pith paper, 9.5 x 13.5 inches (bound volume), 8 x 11.5 inches (paintings))
1 Folder (2 sets of 16 pages of notes)
Date
before 1825
Container
Box 7162 / 7421 / 7508, Item 1
Archival Repository
National Anthropological Archives
Identifier
NAA.MS7162
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Volumes
Watercolors
Albums
Works of art
Citation
MS 7162 Book of Chinese watercolor paintings illustrating modes of punishment, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Processing Information
English titles for the album and most paintings were provided by the donor. A label with an English title was added to the album cover by USNM. The archivist assigned titles in square brackets [] to untitled paintings.
Rights
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form
Watercolors
Albums
Works of art
Scope and Contents
A cloth-bound album containing twelve (12) watercolor paintings on pith paper. The paintings depict various modes of corporal punishment. The Chinese title, Xing ren zhuang ren, or "Punishment with Strong Sword Blades" is apparently figurative, for the twelve drawings in this collection depict punishments other than those by the sword. Included with the album are two sets of explanatory notes written by the donor and/or a United States National Museum curator or clerk. The two sets of notes have slight differences. Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Restrictions
The collection is open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.
NAA.MS7162
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw33857cdd7-23a3-4771-8d71-d8ad2f802480
NAA.MS7162
NAA
Record ID
ebl-1538056214841-1538056214844-0

  • Images 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • MS 7162 Book of Chinese watercolor paintings illustrating modes of punishment 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yes 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • ead_component 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • A culprit before the magistrate

  • Malefactors chained to iron bars

  • Minor criminals fastened to large blocks of wood

  • Heads of the malefactors exposed at the road side

  • [Female rebel executed by disemboweling]

  • The punishment of the wooden collar, or cangue

  • A malefactor in a tub

  • The manner of beheading

  • Beheading a corpse

  • "Ling Chih" or being cut in ten thousand pieces

  • The capital punishment of the cord

  • Prisoner in the pillory

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