This rubbing was taken from stone reliefs commissioned by the Northern Wei emperor Xuanwu (reigned 500–515) in honor of his deceased parents.
In this rubbing, the empress mother is in the center, crowned with an elaborate headdress and attended by an entourage of palace ladies. The empress mother is about to place an incense stick into a censer held by a lady on the left side. Other attendants carry offerings for the Buddha, such as lotus flowers, a symbol of purity in Buddhism.
The second part of the imperial procession, showing the emperor with male attendants, is depicted in another rubbing in the CMA collection, 1916.64.