Purification ceremony, Tsin Yin, Kiausu,

1842 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Purification ceremony, Tsin Yin, Kiausu

1842 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Li Xiaobai 李斆白 , portraitist?
Kong Zhaoduo 孔昭鐸 , painter (landscape)
Shen Jie 沈捷 , carver

Hanging scroll; ink rubbing on paper

image: 46.8 x 109 cm. (18 7/16 x 42 15/16 in.) 50.6 x 122.2 cm. (19 15/16 x 48 1/8 in.)

Gift of George Rowley

y1958-248

Asia, China

Zhou Kun 周鯤 (late Qing dynasty) 修禊圖者，道光壬寅三月三日會于秦郵文遊臺祓禊而 作也。圖中凡十一人坐古松下拈山花微笑著。前宿州訓導邑 人宋茂初，時七十八憑几上坐看[并]者。高郵學正吳縣蔣 錫琳，時年六十八坐階西石上有鬢者。封戶部主事邑人王 敬之，時年六十六席東而坐而[并]者。揚河通判劍州唐汝 明，時年五十行吟階下者。上元[]生周鯤，時年四十九席東 對[并]者。高郵學訓導銅山崔潢，時年四十七立周鯤前者。 候選訓導邑人周兆椿，時年四十二立空洞處望三十六 湖者。高郵州牧湘鄉左輝春，時年四十一，王農部下坐着。江 寧布衣何詠，時年三十六，二童子隨州牧後者。其[]子茂 醇年十七、其子茂桂年十歲。禊畢而宴坐次以少長[合] 賦古近體詩。周鯤作序圖[頂]者，上元孔昭鐸繪山水者，江 寧沈捷鐫[or 镌]石者，儀徵文學生李斆白也。 Notes: 1. Wenyou Tai文遊臺 terrace, located about two miles northeast of present-day Gaoyou 高郵 (also called Qinyou 秦郵) city, Jiangsu province. It was originally built in 976. The Yangzhou gazetteer (Yangzhou fu zhi 揚州府志，“Guji” 古跡 section) records that in the Song dynasty Su Shi 蘇軾, Wang Gong 王鞏, Qin Guan 秦觀, and Li Gonglin 李公麟 had together traveled there to write and drink; hence the name “wenyou.” Li Gonglin made a painting and cut in stone. 2. Seated at the table: Song Maochu 宋茂初 (1794 juren degree) zi: Shifu 實甫, from Gaoyou. Assistant Instructor (xundao 訓導) of Suzhou宿州, Anhui province. Jiang Xilin 蔣錫琳 (late Qing dynasty) [west, left] Instructor (xuezheng 學正) of Gaoyou 高郵, Jiangsu; husband of the writer and painter Wu Hui 吳蕙. Wang Jingzhi 王敬之 (1778-1856) [east, right] zi: Kuanfu 寬甫, Zhongke 仲恪; native of Gaoyou高郵, Jiangsu. Recommended candidate (gongsheng 貢生); poet. Secretary (zhushi 主事) in the Ministry of Revenue (hubu 戶部). Calligrapher; author of Xiao yan ji 小言集. Below the steps: Tang Ruming 唐汝明 (1819 juren degree) [standing at left] zi: Fuqing 黼卿, native of Mianzhou 緜州 but registered in Jianzhou劍州 Zhou Kun 周鯤 (late Qing dynasty) [at right under the pine tree] Of Shangyuan 上元 (there was a Shangyuan district (Shangyuan xian 上元縣) in Nanjing, Jiangsu province). Wrote preface for the painting. Cui Huang 崔潢 (late Qing dynasty) [standing in front of Tang Ruming] Assistant Instructor (xundao 訓導) of Gaoyou 高郵 from Tongshan 銅山. A manuscript titled Dai shan xiao cao待芟小草 is authored by a Cui Huang in the Qing period, likely the same person. In the area left of the building: Zhou Zhaochun 周兆椿 (late Qing dynasty) [standing by low wall, pointing] Assistant Instructor (xundao 訓導) of Houxuan 候選, who was from Gaoyou. Zuo Huichun 左輝春 (late Qing dynasty) [seated] Prefectural Department Magistrate (zhoumu 州牧) of Gaoyou 高郵, who was from Xiangxiang 湘鄉, Hunan province. Wang Nong 王農 (late Qing dynasty) [seated] Subordinate of Zuo Huichun. [He] Maochun [何]茂醇 (late Qing dynasty) [standing youth] and [He] Maogui [何]茂桂 (late Qing dynasty) [standing youth] Sons of He Yong何詠 (late Qing dynasty), a commoner (buyi布衣) of Jiangning 江寧 district in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Kong Zhaoduo 孔昭鐸 (late Qing dynasty) of Shangyuan 上元, painted the landscape. Shen Jie 沈捷 (late Qing dynasty) of Jiangning, carved into stone. As recorded in the Jiangning xuzhi 江宁续志 gazetteer: hao: Nanping 南坪, native of Jiangning 江宁 (present-day Nanjing南京. Good at painting. Li Xiaobai 李斆白 (late Qing dynasty), an academy student (wenxuesheng文學生) of Yizheng儀徵, Jiangsu province. His role in this work is unclear. His name comes at the end of the preface, which was composed by Zhou Kun, he is not portrayed in the image, and he seems to be junior to the other participants and therefore not likely to have been the carving agent or sponsor. He may have been the portraitist.

Depicted is a gathering of eleven men at the Terrace of Literary Travels (Wenyu Tai 文遊臺) for the spring Festival of Purification (Xiuxi jie 修禊節) on the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 1842. Located in Gaoyou 高郵 (also called Qinyou 秦郵) city, Jiangsu province, the Terrace was originally built in the Song dynasty in 976 at the destination where literati figures, including Su Shi 蘇軾 (1036-1101) and Huang Tingjian 黃庭堅 (1045-1105), had traveled and gathered together to write and drink. Three men are shown seated around a table inside a building. In front is an overhanging pine tree, under which one figure is seated on the ground at the tree’s base, while two others stand on the other side of the doorway. On the terrace at left overlooking a lake, two men sit at the rear, one stands at the low wall pointing outwards, and two younger men stand in front. The names and titles of each figure is identified in the preface composed by Zhou Kun 周鯤 (late Qing dynasty) inscribed above the scene. The landscape was painted by Kong Zhaoduo 孔昭鐸 (late Qing dynasty), and the portrait painter may be Li Xiaobai 李斆白 (late Qing dynasty). The painting was carved into stone by Shen Jie 沈捷 (late Qing dynasty). The participants in pictured, or involved in, the production of this pictorial stone are mainly based in the Jiangsu area.

The year 1842 is when the Prefectural Department Magistrate (zhoumu 州牧) of Gaoyou 高郵 Zuo Huichun 左輝春 (late Qing dynasty), one of the men pictured in the scene, completed repairs on the Terrace. He had carved stones set into the walls. In front was the Spring Festival of Purification at the Terrace of Literary Travels stone and one celebrating Su Shi’s birthday (祝宋蘇文忠公生日圖 or 祝東坡生日圖; PUAM y1958-249), in back was a portrait of Su Shi (東坡小像), and to the sides were calligraphy by Su Shi and Huang Tingjian. The carved stone from which this rubbing was taken is currently located in the complex that includes the Wenyou Tai terrace, but is now set in a wall of the Hezan Tang 盍簪堂 hall compound.

Chinese

Qing

rubbings

ceremonies, figures (representations)