Paper Traces: Chinese Rubbings from the Daniel S. Dye Collection

This exhibition presents for the first time a selection of the paper rubbings given to Denison University in the early 1970s by Daniel S. Dye. Dye, who was a missionary in China during the first half of the twentieth century, made the rubbings himself and used this material to write a book on Chinese lattice-work. The collection contains over four hundred rubbings of items from the Han, Tang, Song, and Qing Dynasties, as well as some pieces from the twentieth century. Bricks, inscriptions, calligraphy, and architectural decorative motifs of flora, figures, fauna, and geometric shapes form the basis of the Chinese art represented here. 

The themes of religion and symbolism have played a profound role in Chinese art for thousands of years, and since the Song dynasty (960-1279), scholar-gentlemen have utilized many of these images in their artistic endeavors. The pieces on display here reflect this type of art, but were produced during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).