Tags: herb picture | Ming dynasty | rare books

This book (金石昆蟲草木狀) contains original color drawings by Ms. Wen Shu (文俶), a great-granddaughter of Wen Zhengming, of the Ming Dynasty. From the 45th to 48th year of the Wan-li period (1617-1620), Wen Shu emulated the original pictures in the palace collection of Bencao Pinhui Jingyao (《本草品彙精要》) and the private collection of her family. These colored herb pictures are rare in the world and provide great reference value for those who study Chinese medicines. This book also has a very high artistic value.

National Central Library Chinese Rare Books Collection Digitization Project