Chinese History and Mythology

ca. 1920s

Wu Liang Shrine from stone carvings of the Eastern Han dynasty

Rubbings of the Wu family shrines were made since the 11th century, when they were appreciated as artworks. Subsequently, partial images were mounted as scrolls and appreciated as works of art. Comprise the lower half of the left-hand side of the Left Shrine's south wall, this rubbing depicts, in the middle register, Jing Ke's heroic but failed assassination of King Ying Zheng (259-210 B.C.) in 227 B.C. Ying Zheng lived to unify China in 221 and reigned as the First Emperor.

Ink rubbing on paper

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

35.587.2

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022 [on view Jan. 8 - Sept. 20, 2020].

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