Top of page

Book/Printed Material Shi gu yan ta ben 石鼓砚拓本

View Enlarged Image

About this Item

Title

  • Shi gu yan ta ben

Other Title

  • 石鼓砚拓本

Translated Title

  • Rubbings of the Stone-drum Inscriptions on a Stone Ink Slab

Summary

  • This scroll contains rubbings of the inscriptions originally found on ancient stone drums. During the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty (1522-66) Gu Congyi (1523-88) carved the inscriptions on a stone ink slab, following the exact number, the same order of the characters, and shape as they appeared in a Song rubbing. He proportionally reduced the size to fit the surface of the ink slab but preserved the original features of the Song rubbing of the stone-drum inscriptions. Because the Song copies are all in collections now overseas, this rubbing in the collection of the National Library of China is of high value. Qing scholars attached great importance to these inscriptions; for example, Xu Shizhang, an art collector in Tianjin, paid a large sum of money in 1936 to acquire the rubbings. Later that year, Zhou Xiding (1891-1961), a skilled seal carver and rubbing maker, reproduced them as shown in this scroll. The rubbings contain both inscriptions on the ink slab and the inside and outside of its case. They also contain seal impressions of various copiers, the history of how these rubbings were collected, and studies on ink slabs. The information is thus comprehensive and the records are in great detail. The value and significance of the scroll lie in the extensive information it conveys for the study of stone-drum inscriptions and stone-drum inscriptions on ink slabs.

Names

  • Gu, Congyi, 1523-1588 Creator
  • Zhou, Xiding, 1891-1961 Contributor

Created / Published

  • [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified], 1936.

Headings

  • -  China
  • -  1522 to 1566
  • -  Inscriptions, Chinese
  • -  Rubbing -- China
  • -  Song dynasty, 960-1279

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 scroll ; 151 x 62 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of China.
  • -  Content in Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667453

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Gu, Congyi, Creator, and Xiding Zhou. Shi Gu Yan Ta Ben. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 1936] Image. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667453/.

APA citation style:

Gu, C. & Zhou, X. (1936) Shi Gu Yan Ta Ben. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified] [Image] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667453/.

MLA citation style:

Gu, Congyi, Creator, and Xiding Zhou. Shi Gu Yan Ta Ben. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 1936] Image. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667453/>.