Illustrations and Records of the Yinxin Stone Dwellings

Qing dynasty (1644�1911), Daoguang period (1821�50), dated and engraved 1836

Illustrator(s) unknown; texts by Tao Shu (1778�1839; jinshi of 1802)

Album of 36 leaves (18 double leaves), ink rubbed on paper, accordion-style mounting; each leaf: approx. 39.2 x 25.1 cm

Date of rubbing not given, probably late Qing dynasty (1644�1911), between 1836 and 1911

Inventory number: Huaxiang 882

In 1835, when he was governor-general at Nanjing, Tao Shu was presented with a plaque with four large characters in the calligraphy of the Daoguang emperor (r. 1821�50) which read "Yinxin Stone Dwelling."� Tao Shu adopted this name for his study; it was also given to structures at a variety of historical sites and scenic spots that he visited in the course of his governorship of Jiangsu province between 1825 and 1830.

The album has a frontispiece by Ruan Yuan (1764�1849), the governor of Zhejiang and a major early-nineteenth-century reformer.� This is followed by four illustrations showing the location of pavilions bearing the name Yinxin Stone Dwelling in the cities of Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Qingjiang or their environs.� Each picture, identified by a title written horizontally in clerical script, takes up two full leaves; each has an accompanying descriptive text engraved in neat columns of small regular script.� The album features a special technique of making rubbings from engraved stones: the so-called wujin ta, black gold rubbings made with lustrous black ink on thick paper and burnished with a polishing shell.� The very fine quality of the resultant rubbings enhance the carefully detailed drawings as well as the expert engraving of the designs on stone slabs.