4 volumes. Illustrated with 283 color woodblock prints. Text in Chinese. (4to) 31.5x21 cm (12¼x8¼") gold wrappers, paper cover labels, lettered in Chinese, housed in embroidered silk folding chitsu, with two bone clasps.
Originally compiled by the late Ming dynasty seal carver Hu Zhengyan (1584-1674), the work was first printed around 1644 on poetry-writing paper. It contains characters from the ancient classics and is augmented by blind stamping and printed in multiple colors. The techniques developed advanced the art of printing at the time.
