Wuyingdian Feng Shui Compass

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Wuyingdian Feng Shui Compass

Obverse
Obverse
  • Type: Circular
  • Size: 12.5 in / 31 cm
  • Material: Wood, lacquered paper

A dish-shaped disc of unknown light wood with a magnetic compass inset at center. A lithographed feng shui wheel is lacquered to the top surface. Red characters were inked on by brush after printing. The lithograph is of poor quality, with some greying near the edges of the paper. (The dark vertical stripe to the right of the magnetic compass is a scanner artifact.) The paper is 298 mm wide, and the edges can be seen. The user would orient the wheel to true north with the assistance of the magnetic compass, then would use the wheel's guidance as to the placement of doors, walls and other objects.

The reverse bears the legend 大清 武英殿 監造, which seems to mean "Great Qing [dynasty] / Wuyingdian supervision" or "Wuyingdian direction". (Readers of Han characters who are familiar with the later Qing period are invited to amplify.)

Wuyingdian (literally "military hero palace") was the site of the imperial printery during the later Qing period. China received lithography from missionaries in the 1870s, although I can't find anyone to admit that Wuyingdian used the process before 1905. It may be that Wuyingdian subcontracted the printing of the wheel to a commercial interest, or a commercial press licensed the design. "Supervision", if any, could not have been very close; the quality of the printing is nowhere near what Wuyingdian produced internally.

The Qing Dynasty fell in 1911, which should put an end bracket on dating the device. It's also possible that an artisan with knowledge of the Qing's penchant for feng shui and a well-developed sense of irony produced this after the fall of the empire. Or just wanted to make a quick yuan with a nice forgery. The device comes with no provenance whatsoever. (And with no other name than Wuyingdian, so they get the credit.)

Maker's label
Maker's label
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