SET OF FOUR CHINESE INK RUBBINGS OF THE NESTORIAN STELE
£1,386
Auction: 08 November 2024 from 10:00 GMT
Description
《大秦景教流行中國碑》水墨紙本 拓片（共四幅）
ink on paper, comprising the rubbings from the headpiece, front and side of the Nestorian stele from the Beilin, Xian, 49cm x 31cm, 180cm x 84.5cm, 174cm x 25.5cm, 69cm 26cm (4)
Provenance
Private Scottish collection, Melrose; acquired in China in the 1940's when working for Shell, thence by descent.
蘇格蘭私人收藏，梅爾羅斯鎮；1940年間在中國就職於殼牌公司時入藏，後家族遞藏。
Footnote
This is a rubbing of a stele dated 781AD with an inscription that records the spread of the Nestorian faith from the Roman Empire to China during the 7th and 8th centuries.
The stele is decorated with dragons on the upper part, flanking the ‘title' piece offered here. The Chinese text on the lower part contains 1756 Chinese characters. It records the work of the Nestorian missionaries during the Tang period.
A similar and comparable set of four rubbings, is in the British Museum, registration number 1989,1004,0.1-4