Kansas City - As early as 600 C.E., scholars and collectors commissioned ink rubbings to preserve ancient inscriptions carved on stone or bronze. Advances in ink and paper in the 1200s spurred more refined production, and rubbings were soon regarded as works of art in their own right. In the 1800s, artists created many sophisticated rubbings from bronzes, jades, and sculptures to revitalize the appreciation of antique objects. 

As early as 600 C.E., scholars and collectors commissioned ink rubbings to preserve ancient inscriptions carved on stone or bronze. Advances in ink and paper in the 1200s spurred more refined production, and rubbings were soon regarded as works of art in their own right. In the 1800s, artists created many sophisticated rubbings from bronzes, jades, and sculptures to revitalize the appreciation of antique objects. 

As early as 600 C.E., scholars and collectors commissioned ink rubbings to preserve ancient inscriptions carved on stone or bronze. Advances in ink and paper in the 1200s spurred more refined production, and rubbings were soon regarded as works of art in their own right. In the 1800s, artists created many sophisticated rubbings from bronzes, jades, and sculptures to revitalize the appreciation of antique objects. 

July 20 2024 - February 02 2025

Ritual Disc with Dragon Motifs (Bi), China, Eastern Zhou dynasty (771-256 B.C.E.). Jade (nephrite), 6 1/2 inches (16.51 cm). Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 33-81.

Rubbing of Ritual Disc with Dragon Motifs (Bi). China, 19th – early 20th century. Hanging scroll; ink on paper, 14 5/16 inches (36.35 cm). Bequest of Laurence Sickman, F88-45/110.

Fang Ruo, Chinese, (1869–1955). Woman Tidies up Her Headdress, 19th–early 20th century rubbing of a stone carved in the Song dynasty (960 – 1279). Hanging scroll; ink rubbing on paper, 13 5/16 inches (33.8074 cm). Bequest of Laurence Sickman, F88-45/350.

Pines and Cranes. China, 19th – early 20th century rubbing of a painting by Zhu Jiyi ca. 1662-1722. Hanging scroll; cinnabar ink rubbing on paper, 75 1/4 × 31 1/2 inches (191.14 × 80.01 cm). Bequest of Laurence Sickman, F88-45/70.

Zhang Xiong, Chinese (1803-1886). Worthy Friends of Winter, 1879. Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, 107 × 28 × 1 1/2 inches (271.78 × 71.12 × 3.81 cm). Purchase: the Asian Art Acquisition Fund in memory of Laurence Sickman, 2023.43.

Cudapanthaka, the sixteenth Luohan. Stone engraved in 1757 at Shengyin Temple, Hangzhou; rubbing 19th–early 20th century. Hanging scroll, ink rubbing on paper. 19 3/8 × 45 3/4 inches. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 34-269/5.

Offering Gui Vessel for Grain, China, late 11th-early 10th century B.C.E. Bronze, 13 × 15 1/2 inches (33.02 × 39.37 cm). Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 47-26.