Stone inscription rubbing is one of China's unique art forms. Taking advantage of stone's durability, it has preserved the calligraphic works of many famous masters for us to study, and rubbing from stelae and copybooks has become a specialized art in itself.
The rubbing process begins by laying the rubbing paper onto the stone inscription. After flattening the paper, the first step is to check if the paper has dried sufficiently — a judgment based on experience, depending on the paper type and the object being rubbed.Ink is then applied using two ink daubers, starting with light, dry strokes and gradually deepening the ink. Different rubbing requirements call for different inking methods, resulting in various types of rubbings.
Main Rubbing Methods
Wipe-Ink Rubbing (Ca Mo Ta)
The primary tool is a wiper made from tightly rolled fine wool felt. The wiper should be rolled tight and sewn firm, sized comfortably for the hand, with the bottom end trimmed flat and seared smooth. Lay damp paper on the stone, flatten it with a palm-fiber brush, then press firmly so the paper adheres tightly into every incised hollow. Next, tap systematically with a bristle beater. If the stone is sturdy, place felt over the paper and tap with a wooden mallet to bring out fine details — but never strike hard. Once the paper is dry, use a brush to load ink onto the inking board, even it out with the wiper, then rub ink onto the paper — without letting ink soak through to the reverse side. After three passes, the inscription text will be clearly black against white.
Dab-Ink Rubbing (Pu Mo Ta)
The dabber is made by wrapping cotton and oiled paper in white cotton cloth or silk, lined with two layers of fabric, and tied into a garlic-bulb shape at one end. Depending on the size of the inscription or object, large, medium, or small dabbers are made. The dabber wrap is moistened with a water spray. Ink is loaded with a brush onto the inking board and evened out with the dabber. If using two dabbers, the lower one picks up ink first, then the two dabbers are patted together to distribute the ink evenly before dabbing onto the semi-dry paper. The first pass must be uniform; after three or four passes, the ink will be dark and glossy.
Wax-Ink Rubbing (La Mo Ta)
Pine-soot ink is mixed with wax to form a cake-like mass. Dry paper is laid on the stone and rubbed directly with the wax-ink cake — also known as dry-rub inking. This method is suitable for cold climates or damp cave environments.
Edge-Fill Rubbing (Xiang Ta)
A small dabber is used to first ink the edges of large characters, then the interior is filled in. After the edges are done and lifted, the center is patched with ink. This method is often used for large-character cliff inscriptions.
Tracing Rubbing (Xiang Ta)
For copying fine rubbings: lay transparent thin paper over the original, trace the outlines with double lines, then fill in with a small dabber. Alternatively, place a layer of thin paper over the original and trace-double-line with ink — also called xiang ta.
Ink for Rubbings
The best ink for rubbing is crushed ink from the late Qing or early Republican period. Place the crushed ink in a small jar, add an appropriate amount of cool water, and stir with a wooden stick into liquid ink — usable once it no longer bleeds on paper. Pine-soot, tung-oil, and aromatic inks, as well as modern refined painting-and-calligraphy liquid ink, are also excellent. If making ink from soot and glue, or soot and egg white, add a few drops of peppermint or camphor essence to eliminate the fishy smell. Plain soot-and-water ink is the poorest choice.
With practice, the technique of applying ink for rubbings is not difficult to master.