The Genesis of Animal Drawings in the Flora Sinensis (1656): Between the Tuhui zongyi, Magni Catay Atlas, and Michał Boym’s Wall Map

Abstract Focused at the intersection of the history of books, sciences, and the circulation of knowledge between China and Europe, this article aims to shed light on the genesis of the Flora Sinensis (1656) written by Father Michał Piotr Boym (1612–1659), and the processes of the circulation of Chinese images and knowledge. Through the study of several Chinese painting manuals published during the seventeenth century, our aim is to demonstrate that the Tuhui zongyi is the most likely source of the animal illustrations in the Flora Sinensis . This hypothesis will be supported by an analysis of two of Boym’s cartographic projects, which also include illustrations from the Tuhui zongyi , the Vatican atlas, and a fragment of a Boym wall map discovered in a private collection in 2023. Noting that Boym’s maps contain illustrations of the Tuhui zongyi that are absent from the Flora , we suggest that Boym acquired this painting manual for the purpose of decorating his cartographic works.