Thanks, Hans. I did mention that the Paper Boat can be evidenced from Japan at an early date! I may write about other (earlier) evidence in a future post ...
I suppose that by 1838 it is also possible that the Brave Tin Soldier's boat could equally well have been a Chinese Junk? A pity there is no illustration to tell us ...
Can I ask you a question in return? I cannot find any evidence of the publication of a Froebelian kindergarten manual that includes paperfolding (or indeed any such manual at all) in Denmark at an early date. It might be that I am using the wrong search terms. Do you know if such a manual exists?
Just an observation: the illustrations seem to show a total solar eclipse. The observer on the right can see the sun but the one on the left can't, because of the earth's curvature. And the moon is in front of the sun, so it casts a narrow shadow on the earth. Probably obvious and doesn't at all explain why the boats are paper, so I don't know why I'm saying it, but there you are.
Yes, it's very odd. I'm sure it's an eclipse of some kind but it doesn't seem very clear to me. I hadn't thought of those little figures as 'observers' before ... but that makes sense! There seems to be a third observer clinging to the top of the larger boat ... but why they are there I have no idea ... Please sign up to chat so that we can have more conversation in future!
Vicente's research on this in his "Historia de la pajarita" (2008) has a couple of later copies of the engraving from 1526 and 1537 where the boat has been modified - "clearly in order to make the book seem more serious", according to Vicente.
It's strange to find all these textual references but so few illustrations. I looked up "The Brave Tin Soldier" and the only thing to add is that it says the boat is made of newspaper (I even found it in Danish: "en Baad af en Avis"), so it's more likely to have been the traditional hat-based boat.
I hadn't ever looked up the context of the mention of a paper boat in 'The Brave Tin Soldier' so didn't know this. I find it quite convincing. I have never heard of a Chinese Junk being folded from newspaper ... I suppose it's possible, but you would need to square it first ...
Kunihiko Kasahara made a thorough analysis of the woodcut in his "The Art and Wonder of Origami" pp. 46+.
Also, the 1838 story "The Brave Tin Soldier" describes the paper boat. It is not from the description possible to see if it is that boat, but (much) later illustrations are clearly that.
Thanks, Hans. I did mention that the Paper Boat can be evidenced from Japan at an early date! I may write about other (earlier) evidence in a future post ...
I suppose that by 1838 it is also possible that the Brave Tin Soldier's boat could equally well have been a Chinese Junk? A pity there is no illustration to tell us ...
Can I ask you a question in return? I cannot find any evidence of the publication of a Froebelian kindergarten manual that includes paperfolding (or indeed any such manual at all) in Denmark at an early date. It might be that I am using the wrong search terms. Do you know if such a manual exists?
Dave
Just an observation: the illustrations seem to show a total solar eclipse. The observer on the right can see the sun but the one on the left can't, because of the earth's curvature. And the moon is in front of the sun, so it casts a narrow shadow on the earth. Probably obvious and doesn't at all explain why the boats are paper, so I don't know why I'm saying it, but there you are.
Yes, it's very odd. I'm sure it's an eclipse of some kind but it doesn't seem very clear to me. I hadn't thought of those little figures as 'observers' before ... but that makes sense! There seems to be a third observer clinging to the top of the larger boat ... but why they are there I have no idea ... Please sign up to chat so that we can have more conversation in future!
Vicente's research on this in his "Historia de la pajarita" (2008) has a couple of later copies of the engraving from 1526 and 1537 where the boat has been modified - "clearly in order to make the book seem more serious", according to Vicente.
It's strange to find all these textual references but so few illustrations. I looked up "The Brave Tin Soldier" and the only thing to add is that it says the boat is made of newspaper (I even found it in Danish: "en Baad af en Avis"), so it's more likely to have been the traditional hat-based boat.
I hadn't ever looked up the context of the mention of a paper boat in 'The Brave Tin Soldier' so didn't know this. I find it quite convincing. I have never heard of a Chinese Junk being folded from newspaper ... I suppose it's possible, but you would need to square it first ...
What about the two paper boats in the 1734 woodcut by Ôoka Shunboku? E.g. here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1347045001
Kunihiko Kasahara made a thorough analysis of the woodcut in his "The Art and Wonder of Origami" pp. 46+.
Also, the 1838 story "The Brave Tin Soldier" describes the paper boat. It is not from the description possible to see if it is that boat, but (much) later illustrations are clearly that.