China Exhibits Treasures of BookplatesThe treasures of bookplates, including two bookplates of German books published in 1575, are being exhibited in the National Library of China.A bookplate, originating from Germany in the 15th Century, is a kind of mini-arts. As works of blockprints, bookplates are usually attached on the inside front cover with owners' names or figures, landscape, animals, plants, architectures, etc. Featuring the theme of "Gems on Paper, Pearl of Engravings", the exhibition, the first Western classical bookplates exhibition held by China, shows not only the bookplates of the Western books treasured up by the National Library of China, but also the earliest Western bookplates even housed by China for the first time. The two German bookplates are only 10 years later than the earliest bookplates existing in Britain. The two earliest Chinese bookplates, which were pasted on two photo albums published in 1909, are also on display. The organizers of this exhibition reportedly hope to promote the development of Chinese bookplate production and collection through this exhibition. The exhibition is expected to end in early June. |
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