Beschreibung:

PUYI: (1906-1967) Xuantong Emperor of China 1908-12, the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch, known as ‘The Last Emperor’ and the subject of Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic biographical drama film The Last Emperor (1987). An excellent 4to album featuring a page bearing the extremely rare, bold black fountain pen ink signature of Xuantong Emperor (‘Henry’, being the name he wished to be known by in English, and also with his signature in Chinese characters alongside), immediately beneath which appear the black fountain pen ink signatures of Reginald F. Johnston (1874-1938) British diplomat who served as tutor and adviser to Puyi, and the Emperor’s younger brother Imperial Prince Pujie (1907-1994) who also signs with both his western name (‘William’) and in Chinese characters above. Pujie has also added the date 17th July 1924 in his hand. Annotated beneath in the hand of Johnston, identifying the signatures, ‘The above are H. M. the Manchu Emperor, Tutor to His Majesty, Younger brother of H.M. the Empress, Younger brother of H. M. the Emperor’. A further annotation, in German and in an unidentified hand, appears at the foot of the page and makes reference to Puyi and Pujie, and their English names, and Johnston. The album contains over 110 other signatures, most with additional autograph sentiments, many in German, although also including some entries in Chinese and English, notable signatories including Sven Hedin (1865-1952) Swedish geographer, topographer and explorer who made four expeditions to Central Asia and mapped the Great Wall of China (dated Peking, 8th November 1923 in his hand), Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Bengali polymath, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1913 (pencil signature, dated 20th May 1924 in his hand), Otto Eix (1869-1934) German surgeon and gynaecologist, and other members of his family, Ku Hung-ming (1857-1928) British Malaya born Chinese man of letters, a friend of Leo Tolstoy, Erwin Rouselle (1890-1949) German sinologist and professor of German philosophy at Peking University, Erwin Liek (1878-1935) German physician and writer, founding editor of the general health magazine Hippokrates, Max Halbe (1865-1944) German dramatist, one of the main exponents of Naturalism (two entries, one also signed by two family members), Hans Driesch (1867-1941) German biologist and philosopher, noted for his early experimental work in embryology and for performing the first artificial ‘cloning’ of an animal in the 1880s, and many others dating between 1923-50. Bound in red leather with gilt edging and marbled endpapers. Lacking parts of the spine and the covers a little loose, generally