"Copy", "Rubbing" and "Reproduction"

Rubbing is an ancient traditional skill in China. It is a skill to clearly copy the words or patterns on inscriptions and utensils with rice paper and ink. Few people know this craft, and even fewer can reach the professional level. The rubbings are divided into South School and North School, among which there are many branches, among which Su School and Hui School are the main technical schools of South School.

Rubbings, that is, copies of stone tablets, inscriptions and seals, are all called rubbings, that is, printed matter in which words or patterns are printed with ink or other colors by covering paper on words or patterns of stone tablets or stones. According to ink marks, it can be divided into ink rubbings and Zhu rubbings. According to the way of extension, it can be divided into Wujin extension and cicada wing extension.

Rubbing was first seen in the Tang Dynasty. In different historical periods, the extension method has different characteristics. It is rare in Tang Tuoshi, with only a few stone tablets. Song Tuo and Tuo Gong were very particular about paper and ink. Yuan Tuo, although there are rubbings, is not very developed and has no characteristics. Ming Tuo is also exquisite, generally playing according to the specific requirements of Song Tuo. The Qing dynasty followed the extension method of the Ming dynasty, and there was no new method.

The stele extension originated in the Tang Dynasty and developed in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Before the emergence of high-tech means, the technology of stele extension has always been a traditional and important means to preserve and spread precious calligraphy works. The "rubbings" and "copies" we are talking about now belong to the copies of famous works. In fact, these are two different ways of copying.

After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the words "Ba" and "Tuo" were often confused, so we called "Chao" and "double hook profile-filling" as "Chao" to distinguish them from "Tuo".

There are two ways to copy, one is to write with a pen according to the original post like tracing red, and the other is to draw the outline of stippling with thin lines, which is called double hook method. Then refill kit is in the middle of the stippling outline, which is called "corridor filling". Color filling should take into account the depth and shadow of the original handwriting. According to Japanese experts' research, a little effort was put into color filling in the Tang Dynasty. This kind of copy is a copy after the "double-hook gallery filled with hard yellow copy", which is a copy. The famous "Dragon Book" and "Preface to Lanting" are both "double-hook outline filling books".

"Copying" and "rubbing" are both copies of places of interest, but the ways and methods of obtaining them are different.

"Eight" means "copying", that is, copying paper or silk and other materials in kind. There are two kinds: direct copy and filling front double hook. The copy obtained by the former method is called "copy", and the copy obtained by the latter method is called "double hook section".

An important condition for replication is transparency. The ancients copied the sun in the darkroom by reflecting it on the window. The copy obtained by this method is called "sound copy". There is also a paper coated with yellow wax, which is used to copy the real thing. Copies obtained in this way are called "hard yellow copies".

Because copying is directly copied from the original, its effect is the closest to the original, and it is almost confusing. Copying in the Tang Dynasty, which has the reputation of "not as good as the original", is the best, with many famous artists, such as Feng Chengsu, Zhao Mo, Zhu Gejin, Han Daozheng and others. For example, Preface to Lanting Collection, a dragon book, was copied by Feng Chengsu.

"rubbings" are calligraphy or images made by rubbing paper and ink on stones or other carved objects. Because the cicada sloughs from the real thing, it is also called "shedding books" or "taking off books".

One of the most important methods is "kyphosis". The process is as follows: firstly, water wax or bletilla striata (a traditional Chinese medicine) water is coated on the carved object, then paper is placed on it, flattened with the spine, so that the paper can be attached to the carved object, and then spread on the paper with a spreading bag dipped in ink. It is easy to break the paper directly with the spine, and you should put a felt on it when typing. After the rubbings are finished, a layer of wax needs to be coated on the surface to prevent mildew and moth, so the rubbings are also called "felt wax".

According to "Sui Shu Jing Ji Zhi", China used the method of spine stretching in Liang period or earlier, but he couldn't see anything.

Today, the earliest extant rubbings are Wenquanming written by Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, which was discovered in Dunhuang stone chambers in the late Qing Dynasty, followed by the Tang Dynasty ink of Yonghui Six Years, which can be concluded as rubbings in the early Tang Dynasty.

There are two main techniques for spinal stretching: flapping stretching and friction stretching. Pushing is to beat the rubbing paper directly with the rubbing bag dipped in ink, and wiping is to brush the rubbing bag on the rubbing paper, which is faster. Because the thrust is mostly applied in the vertical direction, it is more suitable for objects with uneven or small surfaces, while rubbing is suitable for objects with flat surfaces.

The rubbings themselves are precious cultural relics and artworks. Due to the damage and weathering of the carved objects, the early or lost rubbings carved in the original stone are very precious. Huang Tingjian once said, "You can buy 1,200 pieces of gold at the Yu Shuzhen Temple of Confucius." .

According to historical records, Zhao Zigu, a Song Dynasty man, took a boat up the mountain with calligraphy and painting such as "Preface to Lanting". On the way, he met a strong wind, the boat capsized and he almost died. Only the Preface to Lanting was fished out of the water. He said happily, "Lanting is here! Theory of surplus and deficiency. Life can be light, this treasure is treasure! " This is the small house Lanting.

The so-called "copying" before the Song and Yuan Dynasties in history refers to "copying", that is, "copying" and "double-hook filling". After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the words "Ba" and "Tuo" were often confused, so we called "Chao" and "double hook profile-filling" as "Chao" to distinguish them from "Tuo". Because "vertebral stretching" is simpler than "copying" and engraving became popular after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the world used "vertebral stretching" more than "copying".

There are many names of rubbings, which are classified according to their artistic value and academic value: the rubbings with the original stone lost and only one copy left in the world are called "orphan copies", the rubbings with only a few copies left in the world are called "rare copies", the early rubbings with less damage are called "initial rubbings", some rubbings with unbroken characters are called "rubbings with unbroken characters", and the rubbings first unearthed are called. These are called "rare books".

According to the materials used, rubbings include paper, ink and so on. For example, the rubbings in the Song Dynasty were mostly made of linen paper, and a layer of linen was stuck on it to prevent the wood blocks from cracking. This kind of rubbing is called "hemp rubbing"; Peach blossom paper was widely used in Kang and Gan years, and black and bright oily cigarette ink was used for rubbing. This kind of rubbings are called "Wujintou"; In the early Qing dynasty, white paper was used, and the ink was extremely light. This rubbing is called "yarn rubbing"; The ink is as light as cicada wings, and this kind of rubbings is called "cicada wing rubbings"; The rubbings with black and thick ink color are called "thick ink books"; The rubbings obtained by using light ink rubbings are called "light ink books"; In addition, there are rubbings that are imitated by brush strokes, which are called "rubbings", and rubbings made of colored wax are called "wax rubbings".

According to its source and provenance, there are: rubbings carved in the palace and extended to ministers, such as Chunhua Pavilion post, Daguan post and Sanxi Hall post, which are called "given copies"; The Song Dynasty established a monopoly market and traded gold. The popular rough rubbings at this time are called "monopoly market books". Wait a minute.

Because of the cultural and economic value of rubbings, there have always been many counterfeiters. For example, if the original has been destroyed or lost, it is called "reprinting"; The original is still there, but it is still vague or flawed because of its age. Later generations also reproduced it as a "copy": in order to cheat people's trust, forgers fabricated a book based on information, and what they carved from the book was called a "fake copy"; In addition, there are many techniques such as wax embedding, dyeing and filling, and fake engraving.

According to the times, there are Tang Tuo, Song Tuo, Yuan Tuo, Ming Tuo and Qing Tuo. Geographically, there are Shaanxi Yan, Shu Yan, Huizhou Yan, Fujian Yan and Yunnan Yan.

The copying objects of "imitation" are mostly ink, while the copying objects of "Zhu Tuo" are mostly stone carvings and other materials, and the production methods are different, so the copying effects of "rubbings" and "Qiben" are also different. But before the invention of copying technology, they were the most effective ways and means to preserve and spread the art of calligraphy and painting. Today, we are fortunate to appreciate and learn from the art of our predecessors, but we also want to thank the ancients for creating these magical methods of reproduction, not forgetting our predecessors, applying what they have learned and carrying them forward. (Text/Shangguan Waner, also known as Shangguan Waner, is not the official of Huainan Jiugong, the owner of the museum, a famous reporter, painter, appreciation collector, mounter and writer)