Calligraphic writing is known in China as “shufa,” or “The Practice of Writing.” Throughout the East Asian cultures that historically used the Chinese writing system, calligraphy is one of the most highly revered literati arts—in Japan its name means “The Way of the Writing,” while in Korea it is known as “The Art of Writing.” Students of calligraphy often use rubbings taken from stelae as models for writing. Stelae were created when ancient scholars’ outstanding calligraphic works were engraved onto wood or stone for posterity. Ink rubbings were then taken from these engravings and those considered as worthy models for students of calligraphy were collected into modelbooks. Calligraphic engravings’ transition of onto paper allowed for widespread reproduction, which in turn allowed modelbooks to circulate far and wide.
 
Calligraphic rubbings have been collectors’ items since ancient times. Most rubbings were taken using black ink, leading them to be nicknamed “black tigers,” after cunning animals that are adept at hiding, hard to see clearly, and can strike seemingly from nowhere. This intriguing name reflects the hidden risks of collecting items whose authenticity was difficult to determine, because rubbings could be taken from forged re-engravings of an original engraving. Thus, in addition to describing the color of the rubbings themselves, the word “black” alluded to the subtleties that made assessing them with the naked eye especially tricky, in part because ink could be smeared over the evidence that a rubbing had been altered or compiled from disparate sources. The word “tiger” implied that a collector who was not finely discerning could easily be fooled and end up with a grievously wounded wallet! These features make researching calligraphic rubbings a much more thrilling affair.
 
Calligraphy is usually written on paper or silk, both of which are fragile media. Because of this, calligraphic works are easily lost to time, and when that happens, ink rubbings become nearly as precious as the originals. For instance, Wang Xizhi’s (303-361) “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion” is heralded as the finest piece of running script (xingshu) calligraphy ever written. The original was reportedly buried along with Tang dynasty emperor Taizong (598-649) in the royal tomb, but luckily there were already numberless hand copies as well as rubbings from engraved reproductions, which went into wide circulation. Among the versions of the “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion” selected especially for this exhibition is the most renowned one of all, the Dingwu edition. This is its very first showing in the NPM’s Southern Branch.
 
In addition to the calligraphic rubbings that traveled to Taiwan with the museum’s original collection in 1949, the NPM now holds numerous rubbings donated to or acquired by the museum, including items from Korea and Japan. Alongside the familiar sight of rubbings with white characters on black backgrounds, visitors will also see rubbings from counter-relief engravings with black characters on white backgrounds, as well as vermilion rubbings taken using cinnabar-based ink. Finally, taking full advantage of the Southern Branch’s soaring ceilings, we are exhibiting enormous rubbings over three meters in height, to show just how grand and imposing these works of calligraphy could be.

 

1. The Timeless “Orchid Pavilion”
 

On the third day of the third lunar month during the ninth year of the Yonghe reign period (353) under Emperor Mu of the Eastern Jin dynasty, Wang Xizhi (303-361) brushed what would become known as the finest work of running script (xingshu) ever written, the “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion.” While the original is said to have been interred with Tang dynasty emperor Taizong (598-649) in his tomb, numerous copies and rubbings remain to this day. Of the currently extant reproductions, the Shenlong edition by Feng Chengsu of the Tang dynasty (held in the Forbidden City in Beijing) and the double-outline copy by Lu Jishan of the Yuan dynasty (held by the NPM) are universally recognized as being the most authentic embodiments of the original’s calligraphy. As for rubbings taken from engravings in stone or wood, the Dingwu edition is considered to be the finest. Not only is the “double outline” method of reproducing calligraphy both laborious and time consuming, but it only yields a single copy. Conversely, the copy of the “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion” engraved in stone at Dingwu allowed for the making of numerous rubbings that benefited countless calligraphers. For this reason, the Dingwu edition was extremely influential.
 
 

2. Treasured throughout East Asia 
 

The artistry of renowned calligraphic works transcends the national borders separating the various East Asian cultures that adopted the Chinese writing system; masterpieces are equally treasured wherever they have gone. For example, during Japan’s Edo period (1603-1867), the eighth-generation daimyō of Mito, Tokugawa Narinobu (1797-1829), ordered Matsudaira Yorisuke (1756-1830), Confucian scholar Tachihara Suiken (1744-1823), and others to engrave the Suiyo Kaku Modelbook. This modelbook comprised calligraphy by masters ranging from the Eastern Han, Wei, and Northern and Southern dynasties all the way to the Ming dynasty. Another border-crossing work of calligraphy is the “Stele for the Great King Hotae of Goguryeo,” a monument erected in honor of the 19^th monarch of the Goguryeo dynasty, Gwanggaeto the Great (374-413). This stele, which was excavated early in Qing dynasty emperor Guangxu’s reign (r. 1875-1908), was inscribed in a hand with elements of both clerical script and regular script (lishu and kaishu), written in a sturdy, primeval style. This stele has attracted attention and praise throughout China, Japan, and the Koreas.
 

 3. Massive Steles in the Palm of your Hand

 
The grandest stone stelae are often over three meters in height. Such steles are so enormous that it is impossible to place a complete rubbing atop one’s desk to practice calligraphy by copying its characters. In pursuit of practicality, modelbooks based on large steles were made by splitting rubbings into columns, which were then mounted in albums on individual leaves. Editions such as these were carefully designed so as to maintain as many of the original steles’ features as possible. In addition to presenting the characters in order, they also replicated the spaces between the columns and included rubbings of damaged and unrecognizable characters. Efforts were made to include even the margins, dates, signatures, as well as the small colophons that were engraved upon the stelae after their creation, all in order to give later viewers as much detail for comparison as possible.
 
 4. Radiant Ink of all Hues

 
Calligraphic rubbings, also known by the nickname “black tigers,” usually feature white characters on black backgrounds. However, rare specimens such as the “Northern Wei Inscription Commemorating the Building of a Statue in Memoriam of the Duke of Shiping” appear with black characters on white backgrounds. This unusual effect is created by taking rubbings of steles that were engraved in relief, such that the negative space around the characters was carved away, instead of the interiors of the characters themselves. Rubbings that stand out because cinnabar-based vermillion ink was used in place of black ink are quite common, but there are also rubbings made with pigments of azurite, malachite, silver, and gold. Additionally, monochrome ink’s ability to appear in a range of shades was taken full advantage of, yielding rubbings that can be as black as obsidian, or as pale as the grey of a cicada’s wings.