This rubbing was taken from stone reliefs commissioned by the Northern Wei emperor Xuanwu (reigned 500–515) in honor of his deceased parents.
Here the lead figure, surrounded by attendants who hold parasols and offerings, is about to place an incense stick into a censer held by an attendant in the lower right corner. The main figures in both this and its companion rubbing presumably depict the emperor’s deceased parents as lead figures. The entire procession can be understood as making offerings to the main Buddha image in the cave, as an act of gaining merit.