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291 - Chinese Emperor's Funeral, China, 1909. Rare photographic po…

Estimation 150 € - 250 €

Description

Chinese Emperor's Funeral, China, 1909. Rare photographic postcard depicting a major official procession in Peking during the funeral of the Emperor of China, most likely that of Emperor Guangxu, held in 1909 at the end of the Qing dynasty. The scene shows an impressive deployment of troops in colonial helmets, dignitaries, a large funeral cortège, and a sizeable crowd gathered for the ceremony. The front bears a rare bilingual commemorative violet handstamp, in English and Chinese characters, reading "CHINESE EMPEROR'S FUNERAL", dated 1.5.1909, directly related to the imperial funeral ceremonies. The card is dated by hand "Pékin, le 10 décembre 1909" (Peking, 10 December 1909). On the reverse, the correspondent writes in particular: "I announce my forthcoming return. I am travelling via the Indies with a stopover in Japan. Have you received my cards with our new stamps? They are already rare! Enclosed is a view of the Emperor's funeral. With my best wishes for the New Year. Happy New-Year. "This text explicitly identifies the subject depicted. Franked with two 1-cent stamps of the Chinese Imperial Post, cancelled PEKING (12 December 1909), with a Liège arrival postmark of 13 December 1909. The handwritten note "via Transsibérien" indicates the postal routing between Peking and Europe via the famous Trans-Siberian railway line. Correspondence addressed to Monsieur Max Gilquin, Liège (Belgium). An exceptional historical, postal and iconographic testimony, combining a contemporary photograph of a major event of Imperial China, an explanatory period correspondence, complete franking of the Chinese Imperial Post, a rare commemorative handstamp of the imperial funeral, and a routing notation via the Trans-Siberian railway. The descriptions are based on our interpretation of the postmarks and handwritten inscriptions, which are sometimes difficult to decipher; they are provided in good faith and without guarantee. Postal history, philately, marcophily, Beijing, deltiology, mourning cover, railway mail, Siberia route

À propos de la vente Arts d'Asie

Lieu de vente

Date 16/07/2026 à 14h00

Crédits photos :

SANCHEZ Hugo