Two volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia sold at auction

What it is

This image, dated 7 July 2020, shows two surviving volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia, sold at auction. It shows two open pages with vertical columns of classical Chinese characters in black ink, bordered by red lines. A brown cloth-covered volume lies to the right, with a black title label reading 永樂大典 (Yongle Dadian) and a small yellowed label. The photographer is unknown.

Why it matters

The Yongle Encyclopedia was commissioned by the Yongle Emperor and is one of the largest reference works of its time. Many of its volumes have been lost over the centuries. When surviving volumes appear on the market, they show how the book was made and how it has been handled since. Surviving copies help historians study the work and the scholars who made it.

Look closer

• What clues on the cover and label show that this volume has been kept and handled over time?
• Why might surviving volumes be sold at auction, and who might have benefited from that sale?
• What can the photograph not tell us about the text on these pages, without a reader who can read the characters?