274 planches hors texte en héliotypie d’après les photographies de l’auteur, sans les 12 dessins architecturaux et la notice historique, mais avec les 2 plans. The Imperial Palaces of Peking. Two hundred and seventy-four plates in collotype after photographs by the author, without the twelve large architectural drawings and the historical account, but with the two maps
Documentation unique reproduisant les constructions architecturales, les décorations intérieures et les paysages compris dans les enceintes des palais de palais de Pékin. Les pl. sont légendées en français et en anglais et munies de titres en caractères chinois et précédées d’une introduction générale qui comporte toutes les données historiques relatives aux divers palais. Cette étude, comme les illus., est divisée en 3 parties : 1° la cité pourpre interdite ; 2° les palais des lacs ; 3° les palais d’été.
The Imperial Palaces of Peking are, no doubt, the most important architectural monuments still existing in the twenties in the capital of China. Althought worn by time and neglect and no longer inhabited by the Son of Heaven or his gorgeous retinue, they still remain much of their ancient character and serve better than any other buildings to give an idea of the setting in which the most exquisite blossoms of Chinese art and civilisation have thrived. The author of the present work has had exceptionnal opportunities to study and to photograph the most important parts of the Imperial Palaces in and around Peking. He has thus been able to collect a photographic material which is absolutely unique in its completeness and which reproduces the most important buildings—interiors as well exteriors—and the finest views within the precints of the Peking Palaces. The work is of the greatest importance for the study of chinese art and decoration, as the author has taken many photographs of the inside views of the Palaces, which are reproduced in this work. All the plates are not only provided with legends in English and French, containing translations of the names of the various buildings, but also with titles in Chinese characters, which, no doubt, will greatly add to their importance as material for the study of Chinese history and art. This work has been published in three beautiful large volumes in Royal 4° (10 x 13 inches), containing altogether 274 collotypes plates in double tone, twelve large architectural drawings and two maps, besides about eighty pages of text. The text, like the plates, is divided into the three following sections: 1° The Purple Forbidden City; 2° The Sea Palaces; 3° The Summer Palaces. Two hundred and seventy four plates in collotype after photographs of the author. Without the twelve architectural drawings and the short historical account, but with the 2 maps