Portrait of the Deity Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior,

late 14th century (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Portrait of the Deity Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior

late 14th century (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Hanging scroll; ink rubbing on paper

image: 185 x 102.5 cm. (72 13/16 x 40 3/8 in.) 208 x 107.5 cm. (81 7/8 x 42 5/16 in.)

Gift of George Rowley

y1958-144

Asia, China

Right and left, upper: Anonymous 真聖象不許打碑 人要打必招殃禍 It is not permitted to make a rubbing of this portrait of the celestial immortal. Those who want to make a rubbing will invite calamity. Lower right: Anonymous 聖象在撫州祥符觀殿壁，邦人言 國初時畫，然不知何人筆也。再拜已，瞻英烈言言而筆勢有若神運，恐非世工所可到。經二百年，壁無少損，則知有物護持之矣。今得模本，立於龍州玉虛觀。 A sacred image in the wall of a hall of the Xiangfu Guan monastery in Fuzhou. The people of the area say that it was painted in the early part of this dynasty, however, they do not know who brushed it. Bowing twice, its heroic and imposing character and bold brushwork appears as if it has spiritual force, possibly not something that mundane craftsmen can attain. After two hundred years, the wall is without [even] minor losses, letting us know that there is something that has protected it. Today, I have obtained a rubbing copy, [had it carved], and erect it in the Yuxu Guan temple in Longquan. Notes: 1. Yuxu Guan 玉虛觀 temple is located in at Mt. Niuxin 牛心山, in Longquan 龍州(present-day Pingwu 平武) county, in northern Sichuan province. Lower left: Anonymous 有宋乾道六年[1170]，歲次庚寅，三月朔旦壬子，二十五日丙子，右朝散郎、知龍州軍州、主管學事兼管內勸農事兼管界沿邊都檢使、借紫眉山史祁立石。 There was a stele that on the bingzi or 25th day, the 1st day of the 3rd month the first day of which was renzi, in the 6th year of the Song dynasty Qiandao reign when Jupiter was positioned in the gengyin station, that the Right Gentleman for Closing Court, Administrator of the Military Prefecture of Longzhou, Superintendent of Educational Affairs and concurrently Agricultural Development Commissioner of Guan-nei and Examiner in charge of the borders, and Acting Scribe of Zimeishan, Qi, erected. Notes: 1. Zimeishan 紫眉山 is located in Sichuan province.

The figure of Zhenwu 真武 or Xuanwu 玄武, the Perfected Warrior or Dark Warrior of the north, standing barefooted on a tortoise. He faces forward with fierce eyes and in front holds a downward-pointing sword etched with the seven stars of the Dipper on the blade. Below, in two parts on the right and left is a clerical-script inscription. The right section notes that this is a copy based on a rubbing of stone in the Xiangfu Guan 祥符觀 monastery, Fuzhou 撫州, Jiangxi province, which was recarved and erected in the Yuxu Guan 玉虛觀 temple in Longquan, Pingwu 平武 county, in northern Sichuan province. The left section of the inscription seems to indicate that the earlier model was a pictorial stone raised in 1170 by an official named Qi. The inscription also notes that the recarving was done some 200 years after 1170, which would date the recut stone to the late 14th century during the Ming dynasty.

Chinese

Song

rubbings

figures (representations), religious art