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Rubbing of stele of the imperial Daoist monastery (Shenxiao Yuqing Wanshougong)

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 210

This ink rubbing was taken from a stone stele dedicated to a Daoist monastery, the Divine Empyrean Palace, during the reign of Emperor Huizong. Celebrated as an incarnation of the Great Lord of Eternal Life, the emperor ordered the construction of the monastery in the imperial court as well as subsidiary temples in every prefecture. Each monastery would have had a stele incised with the imperial commandment by the emperor in his iconic “slender gold” calligraphy (shoujinti), evidence of his personal involvement in the projects.

Rubbing of stele of the imperial Daoist monastery (Shenxiao Yuqing Wanshougong), Ink on paper, China

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