A selection of ancient bricks from all over the ages
Edited by Shao Jiaping
Xiling Seal Society Publishing House
ISBN 978-7-5508-4447-6
Size: 787mm× 1092mm 12 open
Price: 498.00 yuan
Portrait brick is a kind of image brick with stenciled, painted or engraved images and inscriptions on the surface, and is mostly made by patting and stenciling methods. It has a variety of shapes, wonderful patterns and rich themes, which deeply reflect the social customs, aesthetic styles and ideologies of ancient China. Brick inscriptions also have their value that cannot be underestimated in the art of verifying scriptures and supplementing history and calligraphy. This unique art form has gradually been valued by epigraphy in later generations.
Preamble (excerpt)
As a study of ancient artifacts and characters in the three dynasties of the mainland, Tong Yan Fangjin Shixue rose from the two Song dynasties, declined in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and revived in the Qing Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu, Zhao Mingcheng, Zheng Qiao and others believed that the study of gold and stone was a vassal and new evidence of historiography, and the study of antiquities and paleography was thus carried forward. Every brick and tile has a history. Ancient bricks, because of the text and calligraphy as the "corroborative" and "circumstantial evidence" of historical archaeology, have been valued by scholars since the Song Dynasty. Gu Tinglin's "Records of Jinshi Characters" opened the indiscriminate study of gold and stone in the Qing Dynasty. Since the Qianjiadao, due to the unearthing of a large number of bronzes and ancient inscriptions, the wind of gold and stone research has flourished. In the late Qing Dynasty, the scholars of gold and stone have "apprenticed with the ancients", and the artifacts related to the study of gold and stone texts, such as ancient seal tablets, stone drums and copper plates, and tile mirrors, are all studied and integrated with theology.
China's "inscription" culture flourished in the Qin and Han dynasties, and by the Tang and Song dynasties, it had left many classics, forming a vast history book engraved on stone. After the advent of engraving printing, the function of stone carvings to record history and disseminate culture gradually migrated to books, and ancient bricks began to jump out of building materials and became a dual carrier of words and images, with the function of disseminating art and culture.
With the revival of gold and stone science in the Qing Dynasty, the gold and stone stele quickly established its position in the collection of cultural relics with its outstanding historical relics, academic information and artistic representativeness, and a large number of gold and stone scholars and collectors emerged. Among them, Shi Liuzhou, Zhang Yanchang, Zhang Tingji, Xu Tongbai and other Jiaxing scholars can be said to be unique, they take Jiaxing as the center, formed an important academic circle and collection circle, in the context of the study of evidence, the study of gold and stone to an unprecedented period of prosperity. Wang Guowei once commented: "Before the Dao and Xian, the collectors of ancient artifacts were the most in Wuzhejiang, and Jiaxing was the abyss of ancient Yi artifacts in Wuzhejiang. "Jiaxing has become a highland of gold and stone studies. After the reform and opening up, traditional culture was returned, and the study of gold and stone was revived again. Among the many researchers who collect ancient bricks and stones, Shao Jiaping of Jiaxing is one of the outstanding representatives.
Jiaping calls itself "three rooms": one room book, one room stone, one room brick. The collection of ancient bricks has been for many years, and it has been accumulated over the years, and it has become a leader in the country. In terms of category scale or quality and quantity, Jiaping has re-inherited the torch of Jiahe sages' fetish. In recent years, he has devoted himself to the collection and research of "Shu Shi" bricks and "Yonghe Nine Years" bricks, and has achieved outstanding results. He once shared with me the heart of the ancient brick collection, the beauty of the collection lies in the state of mind, the process of collecting is often intertwined with painstaking search, unexpected gains, missed hands, in which all kinds of feelings, empathy, are life realization. Jiaping carefully selected 100 ancient bricks in the collection, compiled into a book, up to the Eastern Han Dynasty, down to the Republic of China, fine products, a grand view. There are many ancient bricks with important historical and cultural value in the book, and these ancient bricks and inscriptions soaked with the wisdom and talent of the ancestors are also the source of calligraphy and seal carving.
Afterword (excerpt)
Shao Jiaping's collection is a kind of chance, and every collector always has many unique and even legendary experiences. I used to like to carve statues in stone, and in my collection of statues, I found that in addition to the amazing and ingenious carvings, there are also many inscriptions. Because of his love for words, he slowly discovered ancient bricks and gradually came into contact with ancient bricks. From liking to obsession, from simple collection to sorting and exploring, from contacting the first ancient brick to "passing fair" to now, it has been almost 20 years unconsciously. In fact, there are not many books about ancient bricks, from the Song Dynasty, there are sporadic written records in the ancient books of gold and stone science, since the Qing Dynasty Qianjiadao, the brick records with rubbing patterns began to be written. However, due to the wide distribution of ancient bricks, many varieties, easy to damage, and difficult to preserve, there is still no authoritative and systematic complete collection of ancient bricks. For lovers of ancient bricks, every book about ancient bricks is precious. The first ancient brick book I came into contact with was the "Bao Lingzhai Collection of Brick Inscriptions" published by Mr. Tong Yanfang in 2003. This book had a great impact on me, and I learned from the photos in the book that the ancients collected ancient bricks in addition to rubbing, and they could also change them into brick inkstones. This also led me to form two collection themes of whole brick and brick inkstone on the road of collecting ancient bricks.
About the Author
Shao Jiaping, born in 1972, is a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang. Collector of ancient bricks. Representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage brocade ash pile brick extension project. He is the author of the National Publishing Fund project "Shushi Brick Yan Examination and Graphic Description", etc.
At the beginning of the book is the display of Shao Jiaping's collection of "brick wall", which is spectacular.
The ancient bricks collected in this book are rich in categories, including portrait bricks, chronicle bricks, Jiyu bricks, etc., which are both artistic and rare. The inscription is carefully interpreted. Each brick is accompanied by a paragraph of "Tile Yiwen", which involves the appreciation and collection experience of modern gold and stone scholars on ancient bricks, which is very interesting to read.
The envelope and cover are carefully designed, and the visual texture is very brick-grained, like holding an ancient brick. Whether it is placed on the desk or on the shelf, it is very quaint and beautiful.
The photos on the inside page are high-definition photographic pictures, with the whole picture of the bricks and the enlargement of the highlights; Rubbing is a newly scanned HD file. After many careful color corrections, the details are perfectly expressed.
This book is available in special editions. The special edition is accompanied by a numbered book ticket and a piece of Shao Jiaping's hand-rubbed ancient bricks, limited to 100 copies. (The binding design of the special edition of this book is the same as that of the hardcover book)
▲ Numbered book stamps
▲Shao Jiaping hand-extended ancient brick rubbing
Purchase link
(Click on the applet to purchase this book)
A selection of ancient bricks from all over the ages
Edited by Shao Jiaping
Xiling Seal Society Publishing House
ISBN 978-7-5508-4447-6
Size: 787mm× 1092mm 12 open
1
Hardcover with envelope
The price is 498 yuan, and the special discount is 398 yuan
2
Special Cover with Envelope (Limited to 100 copies)
The price is 498 yuan
A numbered book ticket (random number)
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Shao Jiaping hand-extended an ancient brick rubbing