CHINE DYNASTIE QING (1644 - 1911)

= Important grey schist stele engraved with a long inscription in lishu, possibly a temple foundation dedication, mentioning the wuzi year of the Kangxi emperor's reign (1708). It is dated to the 48th year of the reign of the Qianlong emperor (1784). Dim. 148 x 79 cm NOTE According to the legend, around a thousand BC, King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty went to Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, to obtain the secrets of eternal life. On his return, he had the story of his journey engraved on a mountain wall. This legend prefigures the intense epigraphic activity that China will experience throughout its history. The oldest known Chinese stele dates from the first century and relates the career of a deceased minister. This stele prefigures the importance of epigraphy in Chinese society, as a support for an epitaph, an object of thanks, and an element of promulgation of imperial decrees... Temples, whether urban or rural, constitute an important reservoir of texts engraved on stele, although in the vast majority of cases the sponsors intend to celebrate the foundation or the restoration of the sanctuary. However, one can sometimes find traces of events that marked the life of the temple (donation, granting of an honorary title to a religious person, origin of the name of the temple,...). CONDITION REPORT Heavy wear