Papers by Lennert Gesterkamp
道教研究學報：宗教、歷史與社會, 2017
The Dongtian fudi yuedu mingshan ji is a famous text on Daoist sacred geography compiled by the T... more The Dongtian fudi yuedu mingshan ji is a famous text on Daoist sacred geography compiled by the Tang court Daoist priest Du Guangting (850-933). It maps all the Daoist sacred sites from the heavens above to the mountains, rivers, and caverns on earth. This study gives a textual analysis of Du Guangting's text, discussing its preface, traditions and sources used, the nature and purpose of the text, its main contents, the geographical distribution of the sacred sites, and later works on Daoist sacred geography. It argues that Du Guangting created a synthesis of the various existing traditions and sources on Daoist sacred geography of the Heavenly Master order, Shangqing tradition, and Lingbao tradition of the pre-Tang era, and adopted the cosmological division of Heaven, Earth, and Water of the Heavenly Master order, as well as many other new sacred sites related to this order, with the aim of supplementing and substituting the sacred geography of the pre-Tang period. Moreover, since the sacred sites of the Lingbao tradition were not yet codified, Du Guangting added many new sacred sites to this order, many of which belonged to the official state cult, hence also creating a synthesis and codification between the sacred geographies of Daoism and the state. After Du Guangting’s synthesis, no other work on Daoist sacred geography has supplanted or augmented his text. It was included in the Ming Daoist Canon and after that in the Daozang jiyao editions of the late Qing period, which testifies to its enduring importance to Daoist sacred geography.
The Shanhai jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) is a description of the sacred geography of earl... more The Shanhai jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) is a description of the sacred geography of early China. This study argues that the later Daoist sacred geogra-phy of sacred mountains and grotto-heavens is a continuation and elaboration of the one envisioned in the Shanhai jing. After analyzing the structure, contents, compilation history, and dates of this complex text, I argue that the Shanhai jingoriginally was intended as a guidebook for administrating resources and territorial relations at the Qin and early Han courts, and followed a specific cosmological model similar to that found in early Daoist texts. The cosmological model of the Shanhai jing stands in opposition to that promoted in the Yugong (Tribute of Yu), a text on geography in the Confucian classics. The study further argues that Daoist sacred geography after the Han continues the cosmological ideals of the Shanhai jingbut without the original administrative purposes. Yet it continues its important task of maintaining territorial relations indirectly—through rituals at sacred sites.
Foreign Devils and Philosophers
A translation and study of the description of the Dutch, or "red-haired barbarians&q... more A translation and study of the description of the Dutch, or "red-haired barbarians" as they were called, in the first official Chinese source, the Dongxi yangkao (Investigations of the East and West Seas) of 1617 by Zhang Xie. The Dongxi yangkao is essentially a work on Chinese trade and its partnersin the China Seas region, in which the Dutch also occupied an important place at the time. In order to study the Chinese view of the Dutch, this article first briefly clarifies the historical background of the Dutch encounters in China, and then introduces the Dongxi yangkao and provides a full translation of the chapter on red -haired barbarians. Lastly, this is followed by a discussion of the particular views on the Dutch the text expresses. The study will demonstrate that the views are, perhaps obviously, not uniform and that Dutch attempts to establish trade relationships with the Chinese were severely hampered by conflicting Chinese views of the Dutch. This study also offers a new explanation for the Dutch failure of establishing trade relations in 1603. The results of the study further hint at a hitherto unnoticed but important condition for official and trade interactions between Chinese and foreigners, which are usually understood in the framework of the “tribute system” or “tribute trade system.” Rather, the Chinese favored the principle of non-violence. As long as the ritual conditions are met and no violent intentions are harbored, the Chinese very much welcomed trade relations. Trade in the South China Sea was conducted on non-violent terms, and as soon as these terms were broken, trade relations with the Chinese soured. Such views can shed new light, not only on Dutch-Chinese interactions but also on Chinese views on foreigners in general.
Netherlands Yearbook for History of Art / Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek Online
Deze promotie is mogelijk gemaakt door een beurs van de Hulsewé-Wazniewski Stichting (HWS) ter be... more Deze promotie is mogelijk gemaakt door een beurs van de Hulsewé-Wazniewski Stichting (HWS) ter bevordering van onderwijs en onderzoek aan de Universiteit Leiden op het gebied van de archeologie, kunst en materiële cultuur van China.
Journal of Daoist Studies
A Thousand Miles of Streams and Mountains (Qianli jiangshan tu 千里江山圖) is the name of a famous 12-... more A Thousand Miles of Streams and Mountains (Qianli jiangshan tu 千里江山圖) is the name of a famous 12-meter-long landscape painting of the Northern Song dynasty. It was painted in 1113 by a 17-year-old prodigy, Wang Ximeng 王希孟, under Emperor Huizong's 徽宗 (r. 1101-1125) supervision, an accomplished painter and a Daoist initiate himself. In this paper I argue that the handscroll depicts a story of Daoist self-cultivation, from lay-life, initiation, receiving training, to eventually attaining Dao (becoming immortal) and the afterlife as an immortal. This story is depicted in both the iconographic details of the figures, buildings, paths, bridges and other elements, guiding the viewer through the landscape, and the composition of the handscroll, mirroring the development of the story by means of the particular placement and the form of the landscape. Because of his close involvement, the landscape painting offers a unique and amazing insight into Huizong's personal views on what constitutes a Daoist and Daoist selfcultivation, if not his ideas on Daoist landscape painting in the Song dynasty.
Afbeelding i Anoniem, De gitaarspeelster, ije-ifie eeuw. Inkt en pigment op zijde, 121 x 69,3 cm.... more Afbeelding i Anoniem, De gitaarspeelster, ije-ifie eeuw. Inkt en pigment op zijde, 121 x 69,3 cm. Provincie Museum te Shenyang. La peinture chinoise, p. 103.
Wu Daozi (ca. 689-759) is China's meest beroemde schilder. Zijn roem is echter hoofdzakelijk geba... more Wu Daozi (ca. 689-759) is China's meest beroemde schilder. Zijn roem is echter hoofdzakelijk gebaseerd op overgeleverde literaire verhandelingen van Chinese kunstcritici en niet zozeer op overgeleverd werk. Het meeste van zijn werk was waarschijnlijk al tijdens zijn leven vernietigd.
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History
Journal of Daoism, 2021
The Shanhai jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) is a description of the sacred geography of earl... more The Shanhai jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) is a description of the sacred geography of early China. This study argues that the later Daoist sacred geography of sacred mountains and grotto-heavens is a continuation and elaboration of the one envisioned in the Shanhai jing. After analyzing the structure, contents, compilation history, and dates of this complex text, I argue that the Shanhai jing originally was intended as a guidebook for administrating resources and territorial relations at the Qin and early Han courts, and followed a specific cosmological model similar to that found in early Daoist texts. The cosmological model of the Shanhai jing stands in opposition to that promoted in the Yugong (Tribute of Yu), a text on geography in the Confucian classics. The study further argues that Daoist sacred geography after the Han continues the cosmological ideals of the Shanhai jing but without the original administrative purposes. Yet it continues its important task of maintaini...
Foreign Devils and Philosophers: Cultural Encounters between the Chinese, the Dutch, and Other Europeans, 1590-1800, 2020
A translation and study of the description of the Dutch, or "red-haired barbarians&q... more A translation and study of the description of the Dutch, or "red-haired barbarians" as they were called, in the first official Chinese source, the Dongxi yangkao (Investigations of the East and West Seas) of 1617 by Zhang Xie. The Dongxi yangkao is essentially a work on Chinese trade and its partnersin the China Seas region, in which the Dutch also occupied an important place at the time. In order to study the Chinese view of the Dutch, this article first briefly clarifies the historical background of the Dutch encounters in China, and then introduces the Dongxi yangkao and provides a full translation of the chapter on red -haired barbarians. Lastly, this is followed by a discussion of the particular views on the Dutch the text expresses. The study will demonstrate that the views are, perhaps obviously, not uniform and that Dutch attempts to establish trade relationships with the Chinese were severely hampered by conflicting Chinese views of the Dutch. This study also offers a new explanation for the Dutch failure of establishing trade relations in 1603. The results of the study further hint at a hitherto unnoticed but important condition for official and trade interactions between Chinese and foreigners, which are usually understood in the framework of the “tribute system” or “tribute trade system.” Rather, the Chinese favored the principle of non-violence. As long as the ritual conditions are met and no violent intentions are harbored, the Chinese very much welcomed trade relations. Trade in the South China Sea was conducted on non-violent terms, and as soon as these terms were broken, trade relations with the Chinese soured. Such views can shed new light, not only on Dutch-Chinese interactions but also on Chinese views on foreigners in general.
Dit artikel is een vervolg op mijn artikel in Aziatische Kunst (september 2006), 'Een daoïstische... more Dit artikel is een vervolg op mijn artikel in Aziatische Kunst (september 2006), 'Een daoïstische hemelhof in Toronto.' Dat artikel behandelde de iconografie en de rituele praktijk of iconopraxis van een paar muurschilderingen in het Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada (afb. 1 en 2). Deze muur schilderingen stellen een daoïstische hemelhof voor, oorspronkelijk verdeeld over de oost-en westmuur van een tempelhal. Onder de vele daoïstische góden was één zeer opmerkelijk figuur, afgebeeld op de westmuur (BI2) in een priestergewaad en met een lotuskroon op zijn hoofd en daarom geïdenti ficeerd als een daoïstische priester. Het opmerkelijke van deze figuur is dat hij op een plaats staat waar normaliter de Hemelse Soeverein {tianhuang) in vol keizerlijk ornaat staat afgebeeld. Destijds bleef deze controverse onopgelost maar recentelijk speurwerk van mijn zijde heeft de identiteit van deze priester kunnen achterhalen, en hierbij heeft Aziatische Kunst een primeur waar deze ontdekking-van kleine schaal weliswaar-wereldkundig wordt gemaakt. Het achterhalen van de identiteit van de priester heeft natuurlijk ook gevolgen voor de verdere interpretatie van de muurschilderingen en zelfs over hun datering en herkomst. Ik had eerder gezegd dat de muurschilderingen van rond 1300 zouden moeten dateren maar hier zal ik deze zienswijze bijstellen. Ik zal in dit vervolgartikel daarom de volgende drie punten behandelen: de identiteit van de priester, het iconopraktisch programma, en datering en herkomst. Tot slot wil ik nog mijn excuses aanbieden voor het ontbreken van de diagramtekeningen van de muurschilderingen (afb. 1B en 2B) in het vorige artikel. Deze zijn nu bijgevoegd. Voor de iconografische identificatie en beschrijving van de overige godenfiguren verwijs ik naar de eerdere tekst.
Aziatische Kunst
Lennert Gesterkamp EEN DAOÏSTISCHE HEMELHOF IN TORONTO Het Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canad... more Lennert Gesterkamp EEN DAOÏSTISCHE HEMELHOF IN TORONTO Het Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, heeft twee grote muurschil deringen uit China daterend uit ongeveer 1300 n.Chr. De twee muurschilde ringen vormen een paar dat afkomstig is uit een daoïstische tempel in de provincie Shanxi, gelegen op ongeveer duizend kilometer afstand ten zuid westen van Beijing, en ze beelden tezamen een Hemelhof van de Dao uit (chaoyuan tu, letterlijk 'afbeelding van een audiëntie bij de oorsprong'). Al heel vroeg geloofden Chinezen dat de hemel wordt geregeerd door keizers, koningen en hun ministers en ambtenaren, net zoals op aarde. Dit idee is overgenomen en verder uitgewerkt door het daoïsme, dat een gigantisch pantheon van góden ontwikkelde die allen vanuit hun paleizen in verschil lende hemelen toezicht houden op de mensenwereld. Om deze hemelse autoriteit uit te beelden, werden tempelmuren versierd met schilderingen van zulke keizersgoden die met hun gevolg op audiëntie kwamen bij de drie hoogste góden van de Dao, de Drie Puurheden (sanqing). Afbeelding i De oostmuur van een Hemelhofschildering met een processie van daoïstische góden,
When Rubens painted his altarpiece The miracles of St. Francis Xavier, he included among the onlo... more When Rubens painted his altarpiece The miracles of St. Francis Xavier, he included among the onlookers in the background a man in a yellow robe, turquoise trousers, and a curious conical hat (figs. 1, 2). The figure was probably based on an earlier drawing that is now known as Man in Korean costume (J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles) (fig. 3). The drawing has been related to Siamese ambassadors in London, pagan priests in Goa, and European missionaries in China, but the association with Korea has been most persistent since it was first put forward in 1934: the sitter may have been a freed Korean slave who traveled from Japan to Rome, where Rubens could have met and portrayed him. The drawing’s degree of detail suggests that at least the dress was done from observation. When the Getty Museum devoted an exhibition to the work in 2013, its experts concluded that the costume may have been authentically East Asian. They also called Rubens’s rendition an ‘imaginative’ interpretation that ...
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History
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Papers by Lennert Gesterkamp