Epitaph for You Shixiong
Unknown Artist
20th century
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
Image: 43 1/2 in. × 44 in. (110.5 × 111.8 cm)
Classification
Rubbing
Culture
China
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Seymour and Rogers Funds, 1977
Accession Number
1977.375.51
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Asian Art galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we encounter *Epitaph for Youixiong*, a striking 20th-century ink on paper measuring over 43 inches square. Created by an unknown artist, this monumental work captures the incised text of a Chinese tombstone inscription honoring You Shixiong, preserving a personal memorial through the ancient art of rubbing. Rubbings like this one are made by pressing dampened paper onto engraved stone surfaces—often steles or grave markers—and brushing ink over them to reveal the raised characters and intricate reliefs beneath. In Chi...