ink rubbings

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  7. [visual works by material or technique]
  8. rubbings (visual works)
  9. ink rubbings
Scope note
Prints made from objects, usually inscriptions and low-relief designs found on stones, bronzes and clayworks. A source surface is washed and damp paper is tamped or pasted on and left to dry, then blacked with a specially prepared pad imbued with liquid ink, the projecting areas of the surface becoming dark. The resulting rubbing has white impressions where the paper was pressed into the carving surrounded by a black ink field. Easily disseminated, ink rubbings were the primary means of reproducing historical data, poetry, scholastic texts, calligraphy, and imagery throughout China. Due to deterioration of original stones over time, ink rubbings are often the only evidence of a part of China's cultural heritage. The earliest known rubbings of this kind are Buddhist texts made from wood blocks in 8th century Japan. The technique may have been practiced as early as the 2nd century in China, where it was used to disseminate Confucian texts carved on large stones.
ink rubbings
Accepted term: 29-Apr-2024