Nominal Things: Bronzes in the Making of Medieval China

Scholars in eleventh-century China were the first to systematically illustrate and document ancient artifacts, which laid the foundations for methods of visualizing knowledge that scholars throughout early modern East Asia would use. They studied bronze ritual vessels that had been cast nearly two thousand years earlier and realized that they were "nominal things" inscribed with names that identified their categories and uses. Nominal Things traces the process by which a distinctive system of empiricism was nurtured by discrepancies between the complex materiality of the bronzes and their inscriptions, revealing the connections between the new empiricism and older ways of knowing.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 20 April 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

This captivating book delves into the fascinating realm of medieval East Asian scholarship, exploring how the study of ancient bronzes influenced the production of knowledge and the making of things. It begins in eleventh-century China, where scholars were the pioneers in systematically illustrating and documenting ancient artifacts. As Jeffrey Moser argues, the visual, technical, and conceptual mechanisms they developed to record these objects laid the foundations for methods of visualizing knowledge that scholars throughout early modern East Asia would employ to understand their world.

Among the artifacts these scholars studied, the most celebrated were bronze ritual vessels that had been cast nearly two thousand years earlier. As they delved into the relationship between the bronzes' complex shapes and their inscribed glyphs, they began to realize that these objects were not just ordinary artifacts but rather "nominal things." These nominal things were objects inscribed with names that identified their own categories and uses.

Eleventh-century scholars possessed a deep understanding of the meaning of these glyphs through hallowed Confucian writings that had been passed down through centuries. However, they encountered startling discrepancies between the names and the bronzes on which they were inscribed. This discrepancy sparked a unique system of empiricism that was nurtured by these mismatches.

Nominal Things takes readers on a journey to explore how this system of empiricism was cultivated. It reveals the connections between the new empiricism and older ways of knowing, shedding light on how scholars refashioned the words of the Confucian classics into material reality. Through meticulous research and analysis, the book provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between knowledge, materiality, and cultural transformation in medieval East Asia.

This captivating book offers valuable insights into the historical and intellectual landscape of medieval East Asia, shedding light on the ways in which the study of ancient bronzes shaped the development of knowledge and the creation of objects. It is a must-read for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the rich tapestry of early modern East Asian history and culture.

Weight: 1150g
Dimension: 188 x 262 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226822464