Artist: Cai Yong
Date: 1100
Size: 26 x 15 cm
Technique: Paper
The Stele for Xia Cheng was erected in the third year of the Jianning reign of the Eastern Han period (170) The original stele also has the characters “Han Beihai Chunyuchang Xia Cheng Bei” (Stele for Xia Cheng, the Magistrate of the Chunyu County, Beihai of Han) carved on the top part of the stele in three lines in seal script. The stone stele was damaged in the mid-Ming dynasty.The content and function of this stele is similar to that of others in the Han dynasty. It records the biographical details of a man while emphasizing the importance of one’s “de” (virtue) and the cultivation of this personal character in the Confucian teaching.The Stele for Xia Cheng records the life and the official career of Xia Cheng, who had implemented many beneficial policies during his years of service. He handled matters earnestly and justly, always worked according to the rites, in a humble and subdue manner. He tried to rectify the corrupted local customs with his virtuous actions but unfortunately died of illness at the age of 56 while he was serving as Magistrate of the Chunyu county.Rubbings of this stele which exist today were produced from a stele “re-carved” in later dynasties. The rubbing in the Art Museum Collection was once collected by Hua Xia’s Zhenshangzhai (True Connoisseurship Studio). It is considered to be one of the earliest reliable versions. This rubbing was then collected by the famous Suzhou collector Lu Gong and the renowned Jiangxi collector, Li Zhonghan, and it is one of the ten rubbings treasured mostly by Li Zhonghan from Linchuan. In 2016, the piece was listed in the “National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books”.
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