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of celebrated painters from the earliest times down to the Ming period. The most interesting and valuable books, however, are numbers 17 and 18, in which the appreciation of artists and pictures, the degrees of their merit, and their master subjects are discussed in detail. The six canons of art are critically reviewed by some of the great painters of the Tang and Sung periods. In book 90, doubtful points are gone into, while famous collections in past times are recorded in books from 95 to 100.

In the preface, the emperor expressed the hope that this encyclopaedia might serve as a guide to students and connoisseurs of paintings and manuscripts. The very high regard which this work has enjoyed among scholars for the last three hundred years shows that this wish has been fulfilled.
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Gift from Mr Pang——

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