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Among the ‘rarities’ catalogued by Daniel de Nessel (1644–99) in the library and cabinet of curiosities of the Habsburg emperor Leopold I in Vienna was a set of paintings in the Chinese style. A reproduction of one of these shows two women preparing tea. The text describes the whisking of the tea in a golden vessel.

This book belonged at one time to the Irish natural philosopher, St George Ashe, who became chaplain in 1689 to Lord Paget, William III’s ambassador to Vienna. Ashe may have given the book to Archbishop  Narcissus Marsh (the founder of this library) on his return to Ireland, as they were both active in the Dublin Philosophical Society.

Citation:
6. Daniel de Nessel, Catalogus ... Augustissimæ Bibliothecæ Cæsareæ Vindobonensis (Vienna, 1690),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
accessed December 6, 2025,
https://www.marshlibrary.ie/digi/items/show/562