Calligraphy Rubbings and the Model-letters Tradition

In ancient China, before the existence of modern printing technology, the technique of taking rubbings from stone and metal inscriptions was invented and used for the appreciation and practice of calligraphy. The oldest extant example of rubbing, dating from the Tang dynasty (618-907), indicates the technique was invented during this period or earlier. Drawing on this tradition, calligraphic masterpieces were replicated in engravings on wood or stone blocks, and rubbings taken from them were bound into books known as fatie (model-letters compendia). These books included anthologies of works by several calligraphers, collections of single artists' works, and reproductions of single calligraphic works.

In 992 during the Northern Song dynasty, the emperor Taizong ordered that a fatie be compiled to include outstanding works from each period, selected from the imperial collection. This compilation is known as Chun Hua Ge Tie. The oldest imperial anthology of calligraphy rubbings, Chun Hua Ge Tie contained works in running-cursive script by Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi (The Two Wangs) as well as works by their followers, and had great influence on later generations.

The Ming dynasty saw the emergence of many famous collectors who published private editions of fatie as if to show off their collections, a trend which continued into the following Qing dynasty. From the Song to the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, fatie were treasured as basic manuals for learning calligraphy. Many masters in the history of Chinese calligraphy learned their skills from these fatie, practicing the styles represented in works by the two Wangs and their followers, and developing their own styles. This exhibition, held in complement with the current exhibition at The Taito City Museum of Calligraphy under the same theme, features both imperial and private editions of various fatie, as well as calligraphy by Qing dynasty masters who learned from fatie.