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This copperplate engraving offers a European interpretation of Chinese society during the early seventeenth century. Titled “Chinesi,” the print features three Chinese figures in traditional attire, one carrying a parasol and burden pole. Behind them, a landscape scene includes additional figures and stylized representations of daily life. Two Chinese coins are depicted on the left: one labeled as a "bleyerne pfennig" (lead coin) with a value of 12,000 to 16 parts, and another a "kupferne pfennig" (copper coin) valued at 2,000 to 16 parts, illustrating early European interest in Chinese monetary systems.
The accompanying German text reflects a mixture of curiosity and cultural projection. It describes Chinese merchants and women as wearing long garments and being “clever people,” while also comparing them to Jews in Europe—a common trope in early modern European ethnography that sought to understand foreign customs through familiar analogies. The description notes that noblewomen are adorned with silk and carried in litters, and it refers to Chinese porcelain bowls and other goods being sold in colorful markets. Yet, the passage also contains overt religious bias, mentioning that women “worship the devil,” a reflection of the misunderstanding and moral judgment with which many early modern Europeans viewed non-Christian societies.
![La Tartaria Chinese . . . 1784 [show Corea]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/97766.jpg)
