中央研究院歷史語言研究所歷史文物陳列館

"Full-surface rubbing" refers to the rubbing of complete contours of vessels, and was an important technique in transmitting the entire shape of vessels before the advent of photography. Extant examples are mainly rubbings of bronzes. This kind of rubbing technique probably appeared only after the Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795) and Chia-ch'ing (1796-1820) eras.
 
The technique of full-surface rubbing involves making paper ink-rubbings of vessels and at the same time utilizing skills of painting, pasting, rubbing, and paper-cutting. Rubbings can either be done with a single sheet of paper or be done piecemeal on the vessel and then pieced together. Because full-surface rubbing is a difficult technique, extant works are very rare.chosen because of their fine techniques, or because the typology of the original bronzes is not recorded in catalogues, or because the earlier scholars' manuscripts on them. Typology is an important criterion for dating the vessels, while inscriptions provide key first-hand source material. References by earlier scholars often shed light on the origin and transmission of the vessels, as well as the deciphering of their inscriptions. Al1 are important reference materials for researchers. The exquisite rubbings and the calligraphy of earlier scholars are also valuable for their aesthetic qualities.
 

During the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), tombs and shrines were often decorated with carvings and murals. These carvings and murals depict beliefs and life styles, including representations of ghosts and spirits, strange beasts, auspicious images, human figures, buildings, vehicles, historical anecdotes, and scenes of hunting, farming, animal husbandry and entertainment. Rubbings made from these carvings are important source materials for the understanding of the social and cultural history of the Han.
 
The collection of Han dynasty rubbings at the Institute includes more than one thousand four hundred pieces obtained in Shantung, Honan, Szechwan, Kiangsu and other provinces. Most were purchased in the early 1930s. A small number were private donations or made in situ from the originals by members of the Institute during their field investigations.
 
Few are aware of the existence of this collection, and a considerable number of the rubbings have not yet been published. Some rubbings are very old, or of exceptional quality. They are of great value in scholarly research.

Epitaph tablets began to appear in China during the second century, and became widespread during the seventh to tenth centuries . From the perspective of comparative world history, the epitaph has two unique features : 1. It is a private document used as a burial item and thus at times carries religious significance; 2. It is the comprehensive biography of the owner of the tomb and thus often contains accurate historical data. An epitaph is usually a few hundred to one thousand characters long and has many themes.
 
There were two important changes in the development of the Tang dynasty (618-907) epitaphs. First, around the turn of the ninth century, their style changed from the so-called parallel prose to a simple, direct prose style. This change reflected the impact of a literary revolution, led by the prominent T'ang literati Han Yü Second, authors of the epitaphs normally were confined to the relatives and friends of the family of the deceased. But from this time onwards some families asked celebrities, especially men of letters, to write for them instead. 

Buddhism was a pivotal force in Chinese culture during the medieval period. Monks, nuns, laypeople, nobility and commoners all engaged in making Buddhist images, and Buddhist images from the period reveal tremendous diversity. The Institute's collection contains a large number of rubbings made from Buddhist images, the focus being on Buddhist steles and Buddhist cave sites of the Northern Wei (386-533).