[SHENGZU GOSIN HVWANGDI-I] BOO-I TACIHIYAN TEN-I GISUN [BITHE] [APHORISMS FROM THE FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF SHENGZU, THE EMPEROR REN] Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng period, 1730. 2 volumes, 126 and 121 folded pages, traditional Chinese stitch binding, 28 x 18cm. (2) Provenance:  Probably removed after 1860 from the Summer Palace, Yuan Ming Yuan. Collection of Alexander George Ellis (1858 – 1942) in 1904 Collection of Ronald Gooch Acquired by the present owner in 2006 清雍正一七三零   《聖宗仁皇帝庭訓格言》 來源： 於1860年后移出圓明園。 亞歷山大·喬治·埃利斯（1858 – 1942）購於1904年。 羅納德·古奇舊藏，后由現藏家於2006年購得。 This work, of exceptional rarity and historical import, provides a unique insight into the personality of the Kangxi Emperor offering a unique view on Imperial court life ranging across such topics as natural history, material culture, science and morality. Aside from the present lot there are only two other known copies, one in Beijing (Union Catalogue of Manchu Books in the National Library of Peking, 1933) and in Paris (Jeanne-Marie Puyraimond, Walter Simon and Marie-Rose Séguy, eds.,Catalogue du Fonds Mandchou, BnF, 1979). The latter copy was sent by Poirot from Beijing to Paris in 1778 and was acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale in 1810 (p 28).  The presence of burn marks on the back of the book are consistent with it having been burnt during the sacking of Yuan Ming Yuan in 1860 by English and French soldiers. The covers of each volume have numerous annotations, indicating that it was treasured and well-studied upon its arrival in the West. A pencil annotation Möll. 95. to the cover along with a loosely inserted piece of paper stating Möllendorff no 95 Domestic Teachings of Kangxi, a reference to the article "Essay on Manchu Literature." Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 24, no. 113 (1889–90): 1-45, which makes reference to the present piece on page 22. There is also an annotation reading cat. Klap probably referencing scholar Julius Klaproth (1783-1835). Another hand has written A.G. Ellis 25.8.04 and Luzac apparently in the same hand which may indicate that Ellis purchased the book from LUZAC who also handled the sale of his library after his death. The numbers 225, 15677 and 910 may refer to other unknown bibliographical lists. Another note references Louis Poirot’s (賀清泰, 1735 – 1814) monumental Mémoires concernant les Chinois which references the text in volume 9. Poirot in fact translated the present work into Italian and French with a bilingual version published in 1783.  Imperial Manchurian literature rarely appears on the market and a such an important text in a Yongzheng edition with an exalted provenance is a particular treasure. *For a full condition report, please contact the department.* *请您联系我们索取品项报告。*