OBiZCOWES

JTITHENAEOM,

&'

cr

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

The

character

slui

("to write"),

from

the hanging scroll

by Shih K'o-fa

(no. 76)

Tseng Yu-ho Ecke

HINESE

CALLIGRAPHY

David R. Godine
Philadelphia

in association

Museum

of Art

with

David R. Godine

Publisher

Boston, Massachusetts

Copyright 1971 by the Philadelphia

Printed in the United States of

Museum

of

Art

America

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number- 75-161453

International Standard

Third Printing

Book Number: 0-87923-072-x

Preface

Few forms of expression

in the long history

of the visual

sophistication needed to understand Chinese calligraphy.

At

traditions.

in absolute

its

best, calligraphy

harmony with

is

an

art in

It is

an ancient

depth of visual

with subtle

art

which the form of the expression must be

the concept being presented; in

may have full expression.

With today's new curiosity about China and

of the

arts require the

its

execution, the brilliance

artist

its

culture,

America has probably never

been so ready for an exhibition presenting the evolution of this great

art

form.

More

important, the steadily growing concern nurtured by the succession of each day's
frantic pressures that leads greater

numbers of people

creates greater receptivity to the intricacies

to seek respite in mystical outlooks,

of calligraphic

Most important, however,

art.

the development of American art in the years since the Second

a

much

broader acceptance of an

art that

is

World War

essentially abstract in

its

has created

manner and

its

meaning.

Thus

Museum of Art

the Philadelphia

works together

has decided to gather these

present a history of Chinese calligraphy and, through the catalogue, to create a

general awareness of

its

aesthetic attitudes.

The Museum's Curator of Far

to

more

Eastern Art,

Miss Jean Gordon Lee, has carried the responsibility for the creation of this exhibition.

Working

closely

material that

is

with Mrs. Tseng Yu-ho Ecke, she has studied the great body of

to be

found

in the

United

one hundred examples to suggest the

States, assessing

brilliance

its

quality,

of this great

and choosing some

tradition.

The exhibition owes a great deal to Mrs. Ecke. Her scholarship in the field of calligraphy clearly evident in this catalogue is beyond doubt supported by her own
brilliance as a painter. Indeed, she

wrote the calligraphy that adorns the cover of this

catalogue.

The

distinguished collector,

Mr. John M. Crawford,

in his support; repeatedly his enthusiasm has

Jr.,

has been notably generous

provided welcome encouragement. The

Museum owes a great debt of thanks to him and the other lenders. Each lender realizes
how important time is as a factor in the enjoyment of distinguished calligraphy. Being
able to see with leisure each of these treasures in a broader context will

to the appreciation of

its

add immeasurably

particular quality.

Evan H. Turner
Director

Lenders

The Art

Institute

to the

Exhibition

of Chicago

The Art Museum, Princeton University

Center of Asian Art and Culture, The Avery Brundage
Collection, San Francisco

The Cleveland Museum of Art

John M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New York

Professor and Mrs. Gustav Ecke, Honolulu

Field

Museum of Natural

History, Chicago

Honolulu Academy of Arts

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas

Los Angeles County

F. Litaker,

Honolulu

Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

Museum of Fine

Arts,

New York

Boston

Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City

Philadelphia

Portland Art

Museum of Art
Museum, Oregon

Private collection, Honolulu

Colonel and Mrs. Edward

Seattle

Art

W.

Rosenbaum, Rydal, Pennsylvania

Museum

Laurence Sickman, Kansas City

Colonel and Mrs. Tong-lao, Honolulu

The University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor

Wango

H. C.

Weng

Collection,

New York

Foreword

word for it,

kalligraphia, meaning "beautiful writing." The Chinese

meaning "the system or method of writing."
The term kalligraphia was used as early as the second century a.d. by Plutarch. Eventually it entered the vocabularies of many European languages. It is interesting to

The Greeks had

used two words for

shu

it,

fa,

observe, however, that although the Greeks coined a

alphabet was such that

precision

On

Chinese

found

is

it

who

written interpretations. Legibility and

of quality.

not clearly expressed, beauty

is

quoted

in the written

way of

expressed

it

as

word

giving

having
but

life,

said,

lies in

its

last,

essence of beauty in writing

is

not to be

response to unlimited change; line after line should

character after character should seek for life-movement,

known and admired

for

its

aesthetic values in the

inseparable counterpart, calligraphy, regarded even

creators, has only fairly recently

not the

"The

manner of writing.
The anonymous

implicit in the term.

is

well.

Chinese painting has long been

West, but

By

itself to free

criteria

for beautiful writing, their

the other hand, the Chinese term emphasizes the system or

Although

have

did not lend

it

were the most important

word

begun

to be appreciated. This

is

more highly by

the

first,

but

its

we hope

exhibition of Chinese calligraphy to be held in the United States.

assembling examples of almost every form of script used by the Chinese over a

period of evolution continuing for well over three thousand years and by publishing
this

Tseng Yu-ho Ecke, trained not

Western disciplines, we hope to
and wondrous facility of the Chinese masters

catalogue written by an outstanding Chinese

only in the

classical

Chinese tradition but also

open Western eyes to the

of the brush.

From

delights, spirit,

artist,

in the

the early Chinese pictographic script, through the fully developed ideographs,

to the elegant

and

lively variations

and Ming dynasties,

on

a visual history

is

of the Sung, Yiian,

on oracle bones, bronzes,
stone and reproduced for students and

these themes

by

calligraphers

presented. Calligraphy

and wood, examples preserved by engraving in

connoisseurs by the process known as "rubbing,"

as

well as actual writing are presented

in this exhibition.

Unfortunately almost
paper

all

of the
impermanence of

in the early history

realizing the

landmarks

silk and
However, the Chinese,

important original examples of script written on

art

have long since been

these media, cherishing

in their calligraphic history, devised a

method

lost.

and wishing to preserve the

for their preservation.

Highly

prized and beautifully written texts were skillfully engraved

which

are

still

by the Chinese.

treasured

In order to

accessible to

many

after the use

of paper became more popular.

people, the technique of "rubbing" or

on

stone,

examples of

more readily
"ink squeezing" was devised

make

these texts

Actually the process does not entail either the acts of rubbing or squeezing.
thin paper

is

applied to the surface

With

of the

stone,

dampened, and tamped

A sheet of

into the en-

pad dipped in ink the "rubber" then tamps the

with the ink and leaving the engraved lines
reserved in white in a negative reproduction of the inscription.
This exhibition has come into being only with the generous help of many people. To
the lenders we owe a particular debt of gratitude not only for lending, but for having
had the foresight to acquire such fine examples. We are indeed fortunate to have been
able to avail ourselves of the kind offer ofJohn M. Crawford, Jr., to lend so generously
from his collection of Chinese calligraphy, the largest private American collection. Mr.
graved

lines in the stone.

surface evenly, coating only the

Crawford's

interest has

a soft

flat

surfaces

been of inestimable help to us and

his financial

support has

helped to defray the cost of this catalogue.

would

like to give heartfelt

their help this exhibition

Mrs. Lucy Lo of
cooperation. Dr.

thanks to the people whose names follow, for without

could not have

The Art Museum

W.

come

to fruition. Professor

in Princeton

Wen

Fong and

have been most generous

Allyn Rickett, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies

in their

at the

Uni-

of Pennsylvania, and his wife. Dr. Adele Rickett, Lecturer in Chinese Studies at
the University of Pennsylvania, have helped immeasurably in the preparation of the
text of the catalogue. Mrs. Nancy Cheng, Librarian of the Chinese Library at the University

of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Jonathan Chaves of Brooklyn College supplied transTo the Editor, George H. Marcus; John Anderson, the Designer; and John
Peckham of the Meriden Gravure Company a large debt is acknowledged. The

versity

lations.
F.

following colleagues in Taipei, Dr. Li Chi, Director of the Academia Sinica; Dr. Chiang

Museum; Chang Wu-yu also of the National

Museum; and Chang Peng-chuan of the Academia Sinica lent valuable assistance.

Fu-tsung, Director of the National Palace

Palace

Other friends and colleagues

who

have been of great help

take pleasure in mention-

Arboretum in
Philadelphia for his botanical advice; Dr. Froelich Rainey, Director, and Mr. David
Crownover, Executive Secretary, of the University Museum for cooperating by lending
ing and having the opportunity to thank: Dr. Li Hui-lin of the Morris

supplementary material to the exhibition; and Dr. Lloyd

W.

Daly, Professor of Classical

Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

must mention the kindness and cooperation of Mrs. Gertrude Toomey Miller, the
Registrar. Mrs. Dianne T. Ooka, former assistant in the Department, and
Miss Anne Li, summer assistant in this Department, were of tremendous help. Mrs.
Dolores A. Graff and Miss Mary Cotter gave staunch support with their secretarial
I

Museum's

assistance.

Jean Gordon Lee

Curator

oj

Far Eastern Art

Acknowledgments

Without the Museum

staff's hard drive and the collectors' gracious support, an exhibition of this kind could
not take place. It is the foresight of Dr. Evan H. Turner, Director, and Miss Jean G. Lee,

The success

of an exhibition

always the result of a joint

is

Curator of Far Eastern Art, that has launched

been the foremost and best-known
influence also
a

on the

ideas

art.

in the

And

United

have been caused by the complexities of the

subject.

The

Philadelphia

American museum

this exhibition.

Museum of

Art

is

yet, before this time, there has

States.

in the

Jr.,

never been

may

and sinological aspects of the

to be congratulated for being the

States,

handsome

and represents the high

first

collection has

level

of interest

among the collectors are Mr.

and Mr. and Mrs. Wango H. C. Weng, of New York.

in calligraphy existing in this

John M. Crawford,

United

aWays

have had

This seeming lack of interest

historical

to initiate such a venture. This amazingly

been assembled completely

Calligraphy has

art expression in the Far East. Its aesthetics

of modern

major calligraphic exhibition

effort.

country today. Outstanding

was able to
examine only about half of them in the original; the rest were studied from photographs. This may serve as an explanation for certain omissions of the more obvious facts
concerning the reading of seals, colophons, and the provenance of the objects. Then
again, there is always the pressure of time in the research for a loan exhibition. I am
most grateful to Dr. W. Allyn Rickett for his careful checking of the text, both the
sinological and historical sources; for his help in making the Romanization of Chinese
names and terms consistent; and for supplying the chronology of dynasties and the
index. He made most valuable contributions. Dr. Jonathan Chaves, Mrs. Nancy Cheng,
and Dr. Adele Rickett translated a number of the texts.
As for myself, I am grateful to Mrs. Duncan R. Seaman, Librarian of the Honolulu
Academy of Arts, to Mrs. J. Scott B. Pratt, III, and to Mrs. Ernest A.Jackson, for their
help in reading part of my text; and to my husband, Gustav Ecke, consultant in many
directions. And finally, to the editor, Mr. George H. Marcus, whose thorough revision
of the text as well as of the introduction, has helped to forge the reading into the present
Because the

art objects are spread

widely throughout the United

States,

form.

There remains much more knowledge

the art of calligraphy.

our age.

It is

hoped

hibition will inspire

The

as yet to

be uncovered and published about

aesthetic involved in this art offers a timeless inspiration to

that the increase in

many more

knowledge and

interest derived

from

this

ex-

calligraphic exhibitions to be held in the future.

Tseng Yu-ho Ecke

Honolulu, igyi

Tr. 1766-1122 (1027) B.C.

Shang (Yin)

Chou

Period

Western Chou
Eastern

Chou

(Spring and

(Warring

Chronology of
Chinese Dynasties

Tr.

1 1

Tr.

22 (l027)-22I

122 (i027)-770

770-221

Autumn

Period, 722-481)

States Period, 403--221)

Ch'in

221-207

Han

Period

206 B.C.-A.D. 220

Former (Western) Han

206 B.C.-A.D.

Hsin

(Wang Mang Interregnum)

Han

Later (Eastern)

A.D. 9-23

25-220

221-280

Three Kingdoms Period

Wei

220-264

Shu Han

221-263

Wu

221-280

(Western) Chin

265-316

Northern and Southern Dynasties

317-589

00

Northern Dynasties
Sixteen

Northern (Yiian or T'o-pa)

Western Wei
Eastern

"(y^

Kingdoms

Wei

302-439

Wei

386-534

ft

535-556
534-550

Northern Ch'i

550-577

Northern Chou

557-581

Southern Dynasties
Eastern Chin

317-420

Southern (Liu) Sung

420-479

Southern Ch'i

479-502

Liang

502-557

Ch'en

557-589;

Sui

581-618

T'ang

618-906

Five Dynasties Period

907-960

Sung Period
Northern Sung
Southern Sung

960-1279
960-1127

Liao

Chin

Mongol-Yuan Period
Yiian

1127-T279

907-1199
1115-1234
1206-1368
1280-13 68

Ming

1368-1644

Ch'ing

1644-1912

Repubhc

1912

ft

0'

IniroducHon

/VLLIGRAPHY

is

the most direct

form of all

artistic

expression. Just as each

movement

of the dancer

is absolute, so every gesture of the calligrapher is essential. It is not

meaning of the character but the writing the moment of execution and the
action itself that is important. Chinese calligraphic art does not only depend on
the artist's intention; it is autographic, revealing the personality of each artist, and
depends also on a mutual participation of calligrapher and viewer.
The structure of the character may be compared with that of the human body;
its balance is architectural, arrived at through strict laws of construction. The
square or round forms, loosely or tightly interlocked; the slow or fast motion; the
composition of the characters all contribute to the mood and spirit of calligraphy.
"Movement," according to Chiang Yee, the pioneer interpreter of this subject to
the West, "is the very breath of Chinese calligraphy."^ "Rhythmic vitality," as
Yang Lien-sheng calls it in his essay, is the most significant as.pect in judging the
beauty of this art.^
Profound studies of the art of calligraphy have been undertaken by the Chinese
through the ages.^ These consist of detailed discourses concerning the structure of
the writing, how the brush is held, how, stroke by stroke, each character is constructed. The observations by great masters of calligraphy, however, should not
be regarded as uncompromising rules, for the wisdom of others cannot always
become one's own wisdom. The act of writing is a vital part of the experience of
the dedicated calligrapher, and the true calligraphic artist is one who knows how
to absorb the tradition without being enslaved by it.

the

fe
Fig.

The

character ko ("to

come

inscribed in the three basic grids

or go") in regular script

The Chinese have had an ideographic language

years.

It is

right to

composed

left.

vertically,

from top

more than

for

columns proceeding from

to bottom, in

In writing the individual character, however, the

from top to bottom and from

left to right. It

three thousand

movement

goes

has generally been suggested that

custom of vertical writing was evolved during the late Chou and Han dynasties
from the early book form composed of narrow bamboo or wooden tablets, tied
together and bound in sets (no. 6). Each tablet contained a single line of characters
written with the grain from top to bottom. However, vertical writing on ShangYin oracle bones (no. i) and in the bronze inscriptions of the Shang and Chou
the

dynasties (nos. 2, 3) fully establishes

The

its

earlier existence.

structure of the character, built of lines

and

dots,

is

discussed extensively in

books on Chinese calligraphy, and so is not treated here." In order to learn proper
structure, the writer should begin by mastering the plain regular script, and only
then attempt the other
in

styles.

According to Chao Meng-chien

(i

199-1267, no. 28),

order to achieve proper balance, the writer should draw a wall around a cross,

lines of his character being ruled by the center

of the cross. This provides stability and evenness. The character should not
have one side too high or too low, or one side off on a slant. Otherwise the
scaffolding will fall apart. Chao Meng-chien explains that this grid method holds
the strokes together and it is only after this has been mastered that personal style
and moods of calligraphy should develop, for "bone structure" is the prerequisite
of calligraphy.^
When calligraphy is taught in school, a grid, generally of red lines and commonly
referred to as a "red-copy" sheet, is used for guidance. Three of the elementary
grid types are illustrated (fig. i), showing how a character in regular script is
constructed within a square. Once this principle of structure is understood, the
grid system is no longer needed and the character is produced freely. Characters
in small seal, official, and regular scripts are neatly contained within their square
areas. Sometimes the placement of the characters is also matched horizontally from
one column to the next (see nos. 7, 14, 26, 48, 50). In other styles, however, the

with the vertical and horizontal

Fig. 2a

Construction of the brush

characters are not necessarily

of uniform

size

and are not

In running and cursive scripts, the characters are always

restricted to their squares.

more

incorporating both large and small elements, so that the

dramatically mixed,

mood and rhythms

are

much more pronounced.

According to a short essay of uncertain authorship, Chiu-sheng-fa ("The Method
of the Nine Living Conditions"), there are nine conditions essential to the art of
calligraphy: The Living brush, which is soft but firm; the Living paper, which

and brush; the Living ink-stone, which preserves the

ground ink; the Living water, which should be clean and fresh; the Living ink,
which should be newly ground and properly mixed, not too light, not too heavy;
the Living hand, which should not be slowed by a tired arm, causing unsureness
of the lines; the Living spirit, which is quiet and contemplative, being relaxed;
the Living eye, which is keen and properly rested; the Living view, which is clear
and in good light, yielding unfettered inspiration.^ With these "Nine Living
Conditions" blossoms the art of calligraphy.
The basic tools of painting and calligraphy, commonly referred to as the "Four
has the quality to accept ink

side tip

middle
Fig.

2b

Parts

tip

of the brush

Treasures" in a Chinese

artist's

and brush-pen.
and the height of their
Paper, ink, brush, and ink-

study, are paper, ink, ink-stone,

Great care was taken in the production of these

tools,

refinement was reached in the eleventh century a.d.

stone makers were greatly respected, and cited for their fine craftsmanship.

After true paper was invented (attributed to Ts'ai

Lun

in

about a.d. 105),

it

quickly became favored by the artist-calligrapher because of its variety of texture

and

finish,

and largely replaced

fabrics

been used for painting and writing.

like a sponge; others

have

smooth

of

Some

surface,

which

to select the type of paper that best suits their

artists
is

are

made of mulberry

chosen, for

The

it

hemp

resists

own

fiber,

or

the ink. Artists are careful

The papers preferred by

bamboo pulp. Often old paper
style.

seems to mellow with age.

true black ink

second century

bark,

and other materials that had long

silk

papers are rough and absorb ink quickly

a.d.),

was not used

until the Later

Han

dynasty (about the

first

or

although a black pigment had been used for brush drawing

on Neolithic pottery (third-second millennium

and black lacquer, for writing and painted design in the late Chou dynasty. The ink is made of a mixture of
lampblack and glue forming a claylike paste, which is put into a wooden mold
and dried. When the mold is removed, the dry stick, or ink cake, is ready to be
B.C.),

ground on stone, and mixed with fresh water. When the water turns black and
reaches a creamy consistency, the ink is ready for use.
The earliest surviving ink-stones are made of earthen bricks, and date from the
Later Han dynasty. Although ink-stones may be made of precious materials, such
as jade, certain types of more common stone have been preferred by the artist.
Smooth stones selected from the quarry of Tuan-ch'i (Kwangtung Province), for
example, are regarded today as the finest. Often the ink-stone is engraved with a
design and the surface highly polished, the smooth texture facilitating the fine
grinding of ink.
The brush-pen originated in China in the Neolithic period, and the painted
Yang-shao pottery (third-second millennium B.C.) shows evidence of a splendid
early brush art. Further evidence of brush writing in vermilion is found on
Shang-Yin oracle bones from about the thirteenth century B.C. The earliest extant
brush, made of a bamboo stem with a tuft of rabbit hair, was excavated at the
late Chou site of Changsha (Hunan Province), Brush holders are generally made
of bamboo or wood, but jade, ivory, porcelain, lacquered wood, or other valuable
materials are also used. The tuft is made of animal hair most commonly from
deer, goats, hares, and wolves; less frequently from horses, pigs, camels, rats, and
humans or of bird feathers. In exceptional cases, vegetable fibers have also been
used (see no. 42). The part of the animal's body from which the hair is taken and
the season in which it is collected affect the quality of the brush.
Brushes vary in size. Some are small as a grain of rice, others are long and thin,
and still others are short and thick. A bunch of bristles tied together forms the
central core of the tuft; the thickness of the brush can be increased by adding
layers of covering hair to the core (figs. 2a and b).
For a proper appreciation of calligraphy, it is necessary to understand certain
aspects of the technique and intricacies of handling the brush. In the early fourteenth century, Ch'en I-tseng elaborated the arm and finger positions and procedures used in making a brushstroke:

Fig. 3

Picking up the brush

[tso-kiian)

Fig.

4 Arranging the fingers

around the brush

(t$'u-kuan)

METHOD OF USING THE WRIST

Chen-watt

wrist resting

T'i-wan

wrist raised

on a support (finger motion)

and supported on the table by the elbow

(wrist

motion)
Hsiiati-wan

wrist suspended (shoulder motion)

METHOD OF HOLDING THE BRUSH

Fig.

Ts'o-kuan

picking up the brush

Tsu-kiian

arranging the fingers around the brush

(fig. 3)

Grasping the brush

with two fingers

(fig.

4)

(single

hook,

iiieh-ktiaii)

grasping the brush with

l]'o-kihvi

grasping the brush with four fingers

METHOD OF USING THE

J^\
Fig.

two or

Xieh-ktian

three fingers
(fig.

(figs. 5

and 6)

7)

PINCERS

Yell

pulHng under (using the middle

Ya

pressing

Koti

hooking

Cliieh

lifting

Ti

resisting (the tip

Chii

Tao

warding off (brush moves from right to left)

leading (brush moves toward the writer)

Sung

sending (brush moves

tip)

down

up or

raising

moves

against the paper grain)

away from

the writer)

6 Grasping the brush

At the beginning and the end of

with three fingers

(double hook, nieh-kiian)

exposed

[hi-feno,

fig.

a stroke the tip

8a) or concealed {tsang-jeng,

of the brush
fig. 8b).

may

be either

The movement

is

determined by the middle tip (fig. 2b), which produces round-tip strokes {yiianfeiig, fig. 9a) and folding-tip strokes {che-fetig, fig. 9b); or by the side tip (fig. 2b),
which produces the turning-tip strokes {chuaii-feiio fig. 9c) and twisting-tip
,

strokes {hsiiaii-feno

fig. 9c).

Quality of brushstroke

often characterized by the vital terms, "flesh"

(joti),

"muscle" {chin), and "blood" (hsikh). "Flesh" refers to the fuUness

and the method of delivery of the ink that gives a full and broad line.
controlling the pressure of the tip on the paper, a regulated amount of ink is

"bone"
of the

By

is

(kii),

tip

which allows the line to move without obvious turning and folding.
"Bone" is the result of middle-tip movements. With less pressure on the tuft,
the line turns and folds, showing an angular movement. The appearance of the
lines is more lean and articulated.
"Muscle" has to do with the point of the tuft, whether it is concealed or exposed, whether the lines are widely separated from one another or are linked by
a thin thread. The action of the strokes moves up and down, left and right,
released,

Fig. 7

Grasping the brush

wnth four fingers

(wo-ktiaii)

grouping related characters into an organic whole.

"Blood" concerns the quality of the ink. As the line flows in swelling rhythms,
the wetness and the dryness of the brushstrokes create varied ink tonalities.
The terms used to describe the compositional merits are feng-shen ("style" and
"inspiration") and ch'i-shih ("dynamic energy" and "force"). Chiang K'uei (c.

Action of the brush

Sung dynasty, who provided the supplement to the Shti-p'u

("Treatise on Calligraphy") by Sun Kuo-t'ing (act. 648-703), explained "style"
and "inspiration" in this way:
1155-C. 122 1 ), of the

foUow
alert,

who

and inspiration must have a superior character and

best paper and brush, be adventurous and
be highly intelligent, use ink that is glossy and rich, observe proper struc-

Those

possess style

true antiquity,

tural relationships,

will appear like a

employ the

and possess

well-groomed

disciple; his lean strokes, like

his fat strokes, like a

<5)

drunken

deity;

and

his

(1036-1101):
(lu-feng)

tip

Fig.

Sb Concealed

tip (isang-Jeng)

these qualities, his long strokes

scholar; his short strokes, like a fiercely resolute

an emaciated resident of mountains and marshes;

gentleman of

leisure.

His strong strokes will be like a

woman;

his slanting strokes, like a

upright strokes, like a Confucian gentleman.^

Such consciousness of personal

Exposed

With

soldier; his gracefiil strokes, like a beautiful

^
Fig. 8a

originality.

qualities

became even more

distinct

with Su Shih

The

configurations produced by the brush and ink are dependent on form.

However, having form, they

bound

are also

to have defects. If perchance one

momentary pleasure,
mind so that he forgets his troubles. In my old
calligraphy is more worthy than playing chess, for it does

has not attained the realm of nothingness, but indulges in

may occupy

[calligraphy]

age

feel that

still

not have to avail

itself

his

of the external, but finds

The only calligrapher who attained

Yen Chen-ch'ing [709-785, no. 16]. In
and yet he was
through accumulated study,
.

and does not follow the

is

missing,

writing

of sage and worthy was

he did not

moment of
is

came

forth with a

completely original

it is

find happiness.

bone,

flesh,

The world

first

having mastered the regular.

prizes those things that are

most

difficult. It

is

One

Fig. pa

Round

tip

{yiian-feng)
is

cannot

and stroke

make

difficult to

the regular script seem graceful or the cursive appear solemn.

make

one

of calligraphy

art

perfected out of the regular style and leads to the running script.

master the cursive without

When

and blood.

work of art. The

initially strive

even though perfected

delivery

not very good,

spirit, vital force,

cannot be called

it

the lofty state

his calligraphy

ancients. In this

Calligraphy must have

of these

at the

my own

Although

preservation in the inner self

excellent. His cursive script

for excellence

rush.

its

It is difficult

to

compact and not disconnected or small characters

appear spacious and uncramped.
large characters appear

There are no frxed rules for holding the brush. One must be free and relaxed.
Ou-yang Hsiu [1007-1072] said, "When I cause my fingers to move, my wrist
is

not conscious of

and
are

This reveals a marvelous sense of control. Strokes

it."

up and down must be

be correct.

Some

may

forward and back,

right,

say

like a taut line. In this

it

is

possible to

a petty

judge

man by

how

so

is

it

this

that

him in person.
awe as if I could

It is

in

see

look

him

castigating

and thus

a true

However,

it

the other hand,

Yen Chen-ch'ing,

understand him

Lu Ch'i or

On

as a

man, but

long

tremble

Fig.

9b Folding

tip

{che-fetig)

and stroke

railing against Li Hsi-lieh

deadly enemies].^

The second compositional

is

requisite
is

so facile that the writer

mastery

is

what

gives

life

is

its

about to

is

"dynamic energy" and "force"

is

not aware of them

(clii-shih),

action of the hand and

intermediary tools. This

as

to the written character. Calligraphy, while circumits

creation in the action of "becoming."

achieved not only through the meaning of the word, but

visual impact.

The tension of a

line

is

sometimes described

or "a needle suspended in the air."

fall"

The

almost "automatic."

scribing a figure, conveys the spirit of

Communication
also in

be said to

man by his appearance. How much

at the calligraphy of

not only that

the result of an execution that

brush

may

his writing.

then the case with a person's calligraphy.

whenever

to see

[his

the brush

his calligraphy,

person will be revealed by

appears neither fitting nor possible to judge a

is

way

gentleman or

more

left

be slanting but they must be firm. Those that

unpredictable configuration

is

what

as

"a dewdrop

constantly changing and

supplies the vitality.

According to a work attributed to Ts'ai Yung (a.d. 133-192), who may be

first writer to have intellectualized the "inherent naturalness" in

ascribed as the

calligraphic art:
Fig.

Calligraphy
is

is

in his heart.

a releasing. If a

Being

begin to write. ...

person wishes to write he

first sitting in

must

release

what

manners and emotions, he then may

silence with quiet thoughts he may grasp

free in regard to his

By

first

9c Turning and

twisting tip
{chuan-jeiig)

and stroke

and

[hsiiaii->?)

4
'Ir

a^

Chin Nung (1687-1764),

and Yang Fa (act. mid

Fig. II

Boilhidharma,
1 8th

century), caUigraphy

from the "Diamond

scroll,

ink and color on paper,

3978 "x

11%

Collection,

ii/k^'i^^.
Fig. 10

Ni

Hanging

Yiian-Iu (1593-1644). Crane and Banana Plant

scroll,

Collection John

ink and color

on paper, 67 "x 28 V2

M. Crawford. Jr.,

New

York

"

of passage
Hanging

Sutra."

".

Wango

New

York

H. C.

Weng

come. Words no longer issue from his mouth; the mind no longer
Deep and mysterious, spiritual and beautiful, nothing could be more
perfect. The characters may appear to be sitting or walking, flying or moving,
going away or coming back, sad or happy, like Spring or Summer, Autumn or
Winter, like a bird pecking for food or an insect eating away wood, like a
ideas as they

thinks.

sharp knife or dagger, or

and clouds,

strong

sun and

like the

Beginning with Ts'ai Yung,

in

China. In time the

judge and practice the

The
in the

and

like

water and

following their course. Such

aesthetic discussions

literati

art

bow and arrow,

moon

of

this

is

fire, like trees

calligraphy.^"

type became prevalent

claimed the rightful authority to

intellectuals

of painting and calligraphy.

ninth-century art historian

Chang Yen-yiian properly

fundamentals of the

of painting and calligraphy. >' Yang Wei-chen

(1296-1370)

arts

stressed the similarity

"Calligraphy flourished in the Chin dynasty [265-420]. Painting

said:

flourished in the T'ang dynasty

[618-906].

By

the

Sung dynasty [960-1279]

painting and calligraphy are one and the same [art]."^^ In the eleventh century,
artists as Su Shih and Mi Fu (1051-1107, no. 22) developed a painting style
was based entirely on the aesthetics of calligraphy; they turned against realistic
rendering in painting, and worked toward graphic stylization. Monochrome ink
painting completely overshadowed works in color. These artists preferred to work
in what has been called the "untrammeled" [i-p'in) manner, which came to be
considered the highest stage in the intellectual school of painting.
Because their approach to painting emphasized direct transmission of intuitive
truth by the instinctive intelligence of man, the "untrammeled" class has been
identified with Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism, and it has been thought that this philosophy
was its principal influence. However, beside the actual Ch'an priest-artists, the
"untrammeled" class included such scholars as Li Kung-lin (1049-c. iioo), Su

such
that

Shih,

Huang

T'ing-chien (1045-1105, no. 21),

tury), and other intellectually inclined

of the

spirituality

of

man

artists.

evolved from

Mi

Fu, Liang K'ai (twelfth cen-

Clearly the movement's philosophy

blending of the precision of Confu-

cianism with the freedom of Taoism and the profundity of Buddhism.

any one of these elements

metaphysical writings of the period.
possible to distinguish

Calligraphy, in

its

in

abstract nature, represents "perception."

depends on intuitive awareness.

It is

any individual or
Its fast

in

im-

any

execution

embodies the transcendental

experiences that are evocative and can be associated with "enlightenment." But
because this experience can be recreated by master artists in their practice of painting and calligraphy, it is not the same as a religious enlightenment that might
ultimately release

man from

meled" class of painting

is

an

Its

abstract nature

his troubled

aesthetic,

world. For

this

reason the "untram-

not a religious fulfillment. Ch'an Buddhism

merely appropriated or defined more explicitly the aesthetic experience, which

then became a vehicle for a nonscriptural transmission of Ch'an wisdom.

The

aesthetics

of calligraphy had great influence on the

Chinese painting. The "untrammeled"

class, for

abstract tendency in

example, abbreviated images like

So condensed is it in form, that its reduction to

of pictographic Shang engraved writings. The difference

a "shorthand" cursive script.

basic elements recalls that

between these idioms, however,

emotion and impulse.

is

that in the

"untrammeled" manner,

line

expresses

This concept has certain parallels in contemporary Western

a

art.

There has been

long evolution since the early twentieth century discovery that

motion, abstract shape, and color can

embody emotional

line,

brush

impulses and convey a

.H

-m.

I-'

It
JHK^
Fig. 13 Li

Hanging

Shan (1711-after 1754). Bamboo and Calligraphy

"
ink on paper. 52 "x ip'/i

scroll,

Collection John

Fig. 12

Hsu Wei (1521-1593).

Hanging

scroll,

Philadelphia

'^-y,m

M. Crawford. Jr..

Sixteen Flowers

ink on paper, lo'ii "x 39

Museum of Art.

New

York

and poem

"

Purchased, Fiske and Marie Kimball Fund

many artists have strived for a spontaneous

and unpremeditated expression of lines and shapes, making manifest their unconscious feelings. The abstract expressionists, action painters, tachistes, the School of
Paris with its calligraphic lyricism, and the West Coast artists have all shared the
deeper meaning. In recent decades,

enthusiasm for the "living"

of calligraphy

line.

While Eastern

in their disciplined

artists

way. Westerners

contemplated the execution

in a free, emotional,

and ex-

manner arrived at analogous results.

Hans Hartung has referred to his art as "writing" (ecriture). The critic Rene de
Solier has commented on his work: "No metaphysics but a direct manner, an
."^^ His free network of
acute, meditative power which speaks without word.
pressionistic

lines

determines the space around

work, nevertheless, has

its

own

Rhythm

it.

is

Mark Tobey, whose "white

deliberate intention.

writing" was based on actual study of the

decisively predominant, but his

of Chinese

art

calligraphers,

of line: "Multiple space bounded by involved white

the potential

of consciousness. "i* Le

spoke of

symbolize

lines

calligraphique is the term Georges

and Jackson Pollock's art, "gesture"
emerges as the most important element, though their styles are distinct and highly
individual. Pierre Soulages identifies the execution of his paintings with a poetic

higher

states

Mathieu gave to

his

own

delire

painting. In his

experience; his structures symbolize events that have transformed him. Until very
recently,
its

contemporary

means, and

brush

art:

art has

"One drop of ink

the heart."

'^

How

continued

its

evolution toward the "reduction" of

of petty sentiment. Shen Hao

a renunciation

(i

586-1661) spoke of

contains a world, an infinity of time,

magnanimous

this

manifest to

all

drop would be! Aesthetic fulfillment can

be revealed in the gesture of a drop, tme

and

tache,

a drip.

Chinese painting co-existed with calligraphy, and thus never became pure

No

abstraction.

sion, painting

may

feeling that

matter

how

and reduced to almost calligraphic expres-

stylized

always remained representational and retained a specific lyrical

be associated with the

mood and moment

ducing. In the pure abstract vision of calligraphy,

present, but

it is

style

of Chinese painting there

of calligraphy.

related to the brush technique

script,

its

bamboo stem

is

Kuo

paintings resemble calligraphy.

official scripts

mood

is

and

its

one element or another

is

Shih-chen

script, its

(i 526-1 590) said:

branches like cursive

joints like the official script.

The

trees

Hsi [1020-1090] and T'ang Ti [1296-c. 1364], the bamboo

Yii-k'o [Wen T'ung, loi 8-1079], ^nd the grapes painted by

Wen
Wen Jih-kuan [thirteenth century]
painted by

Wang

writing seal

like

leaves like regular script,

painted by

never specific and never descriptive.

For almost every

Painting a

was repro-

the artist

on the other hand,

are

As

resemble such things

all

derived from the cursive

to the forms
as

script.

of caOigraphy, the

These

seal

and

goose heads, tiger claws, the wind-bent

stems of leeks, rolling waves, dragons, phoenixes, unicorns,

turtles, fish, insects,

monkeys, chickens, dogs, rabbits, and

tadpoles. The method of writing may be likened to drawing with a stick in the
clouds, birds, magpies, geese, cows, rats,

sand, pressing a seal into

of

its

ink, or breaking a hairpin.

leaks in a roof, rocks falling

from

high

startled snake slithering off into the grass. It

may

leaping, a tiger sleeping, playing in the surf,

woman,

a Taoist

cliff,

also

may

be like the traces

be compared to a dragon

wandering

immortal, the sun setting or the

raphy and painting are indeed the same.'^

It

an old withered vine, or a

in the sky, a beautiful

moon rising.

Thus

callig-

KungHsien (i620-i689).La(/i;ca/)e. Album leaf, ink on paper, 6'/^ "xyys

The Art Museum, Princeton University

'

Fig. 15

'

ffi

;r.

/t

* ;*

^>f/7

y^
^- il
i-

*
*

+ -^

^ J. *
ffi

*^
**

Til

>7jil ^1!- '

'Si;.-

'

"^

y V

r-L**,. a-a:

Fig. 14 Wang Wen (1497-1576). Vine. 1538

"
Handscroll, ink on paper, 12 '/z "x 57

The Art Museum, Princeton University

*</*

Fig. 16

Chou

Shih-ch'en

(act. early

17th century). Orchids mid Rocks (detail). 1606

Handscroll, ink and slight color on paper, height

Philadelphia

Museum of Art,

Purchased,

J.

12%

"

Stogdell Stokes

Fund

isi

)&

.J.,

^^

'-

i:

it

'I'-

f i

^J

"I

-ft

A
*1

rf

'^

\.

-^.

>^

-^

4,L

T
1^

^'

*,-*

i.*Vi^

^?
".vr-t.

Fig. 17

'7^^

f)

Yang Hui

(act. c.

second half 14th century), Flowering Plum Branch,

and inscription and poem by the Priest Huang-an

"
Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 11 Vs "x 24 Vs
Seattle Art Museum, Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

'4

Fig. 18

Cheng Hsieh

Four hanging

scrolls,

(1693-1765). Misty Bamboo on a Distant Mountain. 1753

mk

on paper, 69% "x 26%

The Art Museum, Princeton University

"

(each)

In calligraphy, the brush-pen

any angle and

inclined at

by Ni Yiian-lu

lo)

(fig.

is

Kung Hsien

also be seen in the pine tree

lines

white"

down

(fig. 16),

fei

Wang Wen

by

The placement and

may

be

the use of the

is

evident.

On

(fig. 14).

the whole, their

of orchids

the leaves are prolonged strokes,

so quickly that the hairs

exposing the paper), done with open

muscle are movingly

(fig. 12),

as calligraphic strokes. In the painting

executed

pai

Wei

it

Crane and Banana Plant

rubbing actions were employed; they

(fig. 15),

and dots are written

by Chou Shih-ch'en

in painting. In

soft strokes to give the "boneless" feeling

may

in "flying

always held perpendicular, while

any direction

and Sixteen Flowers by Hsii

with

side tip flatly applied

In the landscape of

in

tuft

and dry brush.

and the rocks are

of the brush spread,

Flesh, bone, blood,

and
Fig. 19a

works.

visible in these

position of the elements in a composition are adjusted to the

"Heng-shan" (from no. 50)

Seal;

by

Wen

Cheng-ming (1470-1559)

and shape of the painting: they are either in the center, and do not touch the
edge, as in the Bodhidharina by Chin Nung (fig. 11), or spill out of the painting
size

as the pine tree by Wang Wen, Flowering Plum

Hui (fig. 17), Misty Banthoo on a Distant Mountain by Cheng Hsieh
(fig. iS), ^nd Bamboo and Calligraphy by Li Shan (fig. i3).Thepainting of bamboo,
plum trees, and orchids was a specialty of the Sung and Yiian artists, a number of
whom published important treatises on the painting of bamboo and plum. The
as if

they were cut off abruptly,

Branch by Yang

1
r

movement

brush
script.

in these subjects

exactly like writing the various types of

is

Painted areas enrich the unpainted areas, and are consciously balanced

one another. The space that divides the composition is part of the design.
In the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, seal engraving, a branch of calligraphic art
deeply concerned with composition, became very popular (fig. 19). Seals are part
against

of an

or collector's signature, generally written in ancient

artist's

scripts.

They had

Fig.

19b

Seal:

"Wei-i chang" (from no. 90)

by Cheng Hsieh (1693-1765)

in China for documentary purposes from Shang-Yin times on, and

some handsomely designed seals of the Han and T'ang dynasties are still known
to us today. About the eleventh century, with the impetus provided by the artist
Mi Fu and Emperor Hui-tsung (r. 1100-1125), the collector's seal began to be

been used

widely used.

Among

the noted

Wen

son

his

who engraved their own seals were Chao Meng-fu

WenCheng-ming (1470-1559, nos. 48-51, fig. 19a), and

artists

(1254-1322, nos. 30, 31),

P'eng (1498-1573, no. 43B). Traditionally they are considered the

finest seal-engraving artists.

calligraphy

were

By

the eighteenth century,

also seal engravers,

and

most

artists in

painting and

chin shih shu hua ("metal [bronze]

and

stone [engraving art], calligraphy, and painting") were considered to be the four
studies

pursued by

Because the working surface

is

Fig. 19c
Seal: "Jih-yii-shan jih jih

a cultivated artist.

necessarily small, seal art

demands

much more

("At

Spring"; from no. 94)

by Teng Shih-ju (1743-1805)
IS

of control of space. The outer edge of the stone, i.e., the frame, is an
part of the composition. The positive (red) and negative (white) areas

rigid sense
integral

are

of equal importance, with the

structural tension.
sensibility

With

is

The

lines

and the space between them sharing

relationships are intense

necessary to create a

dynamic

and acute; therefore

design.

the understanding of calligraphy, the artist can capture form, value,

character in a single stroke. Chinese

its

and

defining reality through basic sim-

artists,

plicity, are thus able to project into their art

unity. Chinese calligraphy with

a greater

an incredible "totality," an overall

and micro-

abstract nature has been cosmic

cosmic, and thus can contain "a world, an infinity of time, [and

make

it]

all

manifest to the heart." Perhaps the most inclusive reference on the basic simplicity

of Chinese
c.

art

is

the treatise

1720, nos. 83, 84).

The

Hua

first

yii lu

chapter

("Notes on Painting") by Tao-chi (1641is

on

the "one-stroke" (i-hua):

ch'un"

Mount Jih-yii, everyday

This "one-stroke"

is

the origin of all existence, the root often thousand forms.

observed by spiritual

It is

standing of men.

It

... So

said:

ture.

it

This sensibility
into reality, a
bility,

is

life

is

Merely rely upon the grasp of the under"one stroke," embrace everything in miniaTno unifies by "one stroke. "i"'

reality.

by

can,

"My

this

simple but subtle. If possessed by the

is

given to inanimate form. If the

what he produces may be only

artist

a shallow outline.

artist, as

it

turns

does not have

magic

this sensi-

The measure of an

artist

depends on what degree of "realization" he has reached.

Notes
1.

Chiang Yee, Chinese Calligraphy: An

Introduction

to Its

London, 1938,

Aesthetic and Technique,

p. 125.

2.

Lien-sheng Yang, "Chinese Calhgraphy," in Chinese Calligraphy and Painting

of John

M.

Calligraphy and Painting

3.

The

traditional Hterature

Yee and Yang Lien-sheng

"Wei

York, 1962, p. 45; and in Catalogue of the Exhibition of Chinese

Collection ojjohn M. Craujord, Jr., New York, 1962, p. 52.

in the

portant additions have been

M.

in the Collection

New

Crawford, Jr.,

on

this subject

made

cited

is

too extensive to

cite here.

Recently, however, im-

to this bibhography in the West. Beside the

above (notes

and

2), the

works by Chiang

following should be mentioned: Richard

Chen T'u and the Early Texts on Calligraphy," in Archives oj the

(1964), pp. 13-25, gives an account of certain pre-T'ang and
early T'ang treatises on calligraphy; and Tsuen-hsuin Tsien's IVritten on Bamboo and Silk: The
Beginnings oj Chinese Books and Inscriptions, Chicago, 1962, excellently summarizes ancient scripts
and the tools of writing. Currently the German scholar Roger Goepper is preparing a translation
of the monumental text of the Shu-p'u ("Treatise on Calligraphy"), dated 687, by Sun Kuo-t'ing.
Barnhart's

Fu-jen's Pi

Chinese Art Society of America,

xvm

See also Lothar Ledderhose, Die Siegelschrift {Chuan-shu)

4.

The

simplest

commentary by

to us today has a
this essay

can be found in

Laws of Yung,"

der Ch'ing-zeit,

and most popular discussion of the structure of the character

("Eight Components of the Character Yung") by

of

in

in

Lucy

Wang

is

the Yung tzu pa fa

The

version

known

the fourteenth-century writer Li P'u-kuang. English translations

many books on Chinese

Driscoll

Hsi-chih (303-379).

Wiesbaden, 1970.

calligraphy. See, for example,

"The Eight

New

York, 1964,

and Kenji Toda, Chinese Calligraphy 2nd

,

ed..

pp. 34-41-

5.

Chao Tzu-ku (Chao Meng-chien),

Lun-shu-fu, in Shu-fa cheng chuan, ed. Feng

Wu,

1828,

and

republished in the Kuo-hsikh chi-pen ts'ung-shu chien-pien (khcptscp), Shanghai, 1936.

The Han-lin chin citing, ed. Wang Ju-li (eighteenth century), attributes the Chiii-sheng-fa to an
anonymous author of the late eighth century. According to the Shu-fa cheng chuan, khcptscp,
L p. 103, it is the work of the Mongolian calligrapher K'uei-k'uei (Tzu-shan), whose dates are
1295 to 1345. The commentary of the "Nine Living Conditions" varies in the different editions.
6.

I-tseng, Han-lin yao chiieh, in Shu-fa cheng chuan, khcptscp,

7.

Ch'en

8.

Chiang K'uei,

9.

These remarks are collected from several sections of Su Shih's Tung-p'o

Hsii Shu-p'u, 1202, in Shu-fa cheng chuan,

shu chi-ch'eng, Shanghai, 1936, pp. 72-94.

I,

pp. 4-5.

khcptscp, L pp- 43-44chi, chiian 4, in

Ts'ung-

10.

Attributed to Ts'ai Yung,

11.

Chang

Yen-yiian, Fa-sliu

Inn, in Shu-fa cheiig chiian,

Sliii

before 847; and Li

ycio In,

lai

khcptscp,

ming hua

I,

chi,

Acker, Some T'ang and Pre-T'ang Texts on Chinese Painting, Leiden, 1954,

12.

Yang Wei-chen, Tung-wci-tzu

13.

Rene de

Solier,

14.

Quoted

in

an exhibition

15.

at

chi, in

Hua

hsiich hsin yin, ed.

"Hans Hartung," Quadmm,

II

p. 79.

847. Cited

by

W.

R. B,

p. 82.

Ch'in Tsu-yung, 1912,

I,

p. 36.

(1956), n.p. (extract).

Contemporary Calligraphers: John Marin, Mark Tohey, Morris Graves (catalogue of

the

Shen Hao, Hua

Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston), Houston,

chn. Translated in

Osvald

Siren,

The Chinese on

the

1956, n.p.

Art of Painting,

Hongkong,

1963, p. 175.

16.

Wang

Shih-chen, Ku-ching shu

Shanghai, 1937,

p.

17. Tao-chi, Kii-kua ho-shcmg

also translations in

yi'ian,

in

Chung-kuo

hua-hsi'teh

cK i'tan-shih

ed.

Cheng Ch'ang,

415.

Osvald

Hua

Siren,

yil hi.

The quotation

The Chinese on

and Lin Yu-t'ang, The Chinese Theory of Art,

the

New

Art

here has been translated by Karl Cole. See

oj Painting,

Hongkong,

York, 1967, pp. 140-41.

1963, pp. 184-86;

CATALOGUE

1.

Oracle Bone Script

Shang-Yin dynasty
"Oracle Bone" (engraved tortoise plastron, length 7'4")

Academia
c.

Sinica, Taipei,

1339-1281

in the

Taiwan, Republic of China

B.C.

Photograph

Among

the earliest

civilization, are the

known examples of

referred to as "oracle
tens

the Chinese script, dating from the bronze

engravings on animal bones and tortoise

bone

shells.

They

inscriptions" (chia-ku-weii). Since the turn

of thousands of these have been unearthed

at

of

are usually

this

century,

Hsiao-tun near An-yang(Honan

of the Shang-Yin dynasty. Such "bones" were used for

divination (jni-tz'ii): the bone or shell was placed on hre, which made it crack, and
omens were read from the resulting patterns. After extensive study by many scholars,
Province), the

site

of the

capital

the script has been deciphered.

describing

On

many

details

some of the

writings give a vivid picture of this ancient period,

life.

oracle bones, vermilion

ing that the script was

used earlier

The

of daily

first

as a tool for

painting

(third-second millennium

may

be seen within the engraving, indicat-

The brush had been

written with a brush and then engraved.

B.C.),

on

the pottery of the Neolithic

Yang-shao culture

coinciding with the emergence of Chinese civilization.

Structure and size of the script vary, and the characters have been found written in

many
to

different ways. Generally the inscription

read vertically in columns from top

bottom. The free arrangement of the characters

of the bone or

The

tions.

with

The

shell, their

is

determined by the contiguration

accidental positions imparting a natural

charm

to the inscrip-

thin strokes predominate and give the impression of having been written

pen instead of engraved.

pictorial representations are less elaborate than

inscriptions (no. 2).

ill

is

with the

later

According to the archaeologist Tung Tso-pin

Oracle Inscriptions,

Shang cast-bronze

{Fifty Years of Studies

Tokyo, 1964), the style of the inscriptions changed gradually

of the Shang-Yin dynasty. They may be divided into hve epi-

during the 273 years

graphical periods. This inscription

is

attributed to the

first

period (Wu-ting), dating

about 1339 to 1281 B.C. Changes in style took various forms. There was an increase in
the number of strokes without altering the meaning of the character; a progression

toward complexity with additional meaning

for each character an evolution

pictographic representation to abstract symbolization.

from

-#

4^

*s

t.
h
ir

4'

-^

\SD

Vfl?

s
Transcription of characters into
Courtesy of the Academia Sinica

modern

script

2.

Ancient Script
Shang dynasty
Cast Inscription on a Bronze

A.

First quarter

of the

13 th

Philadelphia

Many

of the

ritual

Sinica,

China

century

Ink rubbing (contemporary),

Academia

in the

Tiiif^

Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of

B.C.

6"x4%

Museum of Art

bronze

vessels

of the Shang dynasty bear short

cast inscriptions in

on one of a pair
royal
tomb in Houfound
in
the
of oversized tiiio, decorated with stag and ox masks,
chia-chiian, Hou-kang {see illustration). According to Alexander Soper, they were "m

what

called the "ancient script" (ku-weii). This inscription appears

is

the service either of

Tsu Keng who died

Their designs use the resources of the

in

new

1274 ... or of the ex-crown prince Chi.

a ponderous directness that sugand Late Shang: A Note," Arrihus
profile representation of a deer in fuU

with

style

gests an early phase [of An-yang]." ("Early, Middle,

Asiae, xxviii,
'ing.

First

quarter of the 13 th century B.C.

ronze; height to

cademia

nm, 24

Sinica, Taipei,

The

[1966], p. 28).

pictorial elaboration,

is

also

inscription, a

an early feature.

It

shows the

close relationship in ancient

China between calligraphy and the painted image.

"
"/s

Taiwan,

epublic of China

While painting was to become increasingly representational, calligraphy condensed

the image into an abstract graph. The two arts separated, remaining so until the second
century a.d. when calligraphy and painting once again shared the brush technique.
Cast Inscription on a Bronze Chiieh (Chiii-lii-kuei

B.

Palace

Museum,

I3th-i2th century

Taipei, Taiwan, Republic

National

of China

B.C.

Ink rubbing (contemporary),

Philadelphia

chiieh) in the

i^/s"'x.

i"

Museum of Art

Three pictographs appear under the handle on the body of this chiieh [see illustration).
Stylistically, the short legs and a heavy body place it in the early An-yang period. It is
a developed form of the slender type of vessel from the pre-An-yang period found at
the

Honan Province

sites,

however, has features that

graph,
Chtii-fii-kuei chi'ieh

I3th-I2th century

chiii

way on

("bird"),

is

other vessels.

Cheng-chou and Liu-li-ko (Hui Hsien). The inscription,

would date it to the early Shang dynasty. The upper picto-

a schematic representation

It

B.C.

Bronze. National Pakce

Museum, Taipei, Taiwan,

Repubhc of China

graphs, fu-kiiei ("father Kuei"), designate the

or of the person

of a bird

who had

it

cast.

This

chiieh

title

Cast Inscription on a Bronze Kuei

Palace

nth

Museum,

century

On each side

this

B.C.

(Aleti-tsu-ting kuei) in the

Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of

National

China

B.C.

Ink rubbing (contemporary), 2 78 "x

Philadelphia

and appears

should probably be dated into an early

phase of An-yang, during the thirteenth or twelfth century

c.

in prohle,

name of a clan. The other pictoand name of the owner of the vessel

has been interpreted as the

3%"

Museum of Art

of the upper decorative band of this kuei

frontal t'no-t'ieh mask, flanked

by t\vo

pairs

of birds

{see illustration)

in

low

appears a small,

Below is
masked by high

relief

wide

flanges,
band of bosses in a diamond-patterned grid. Thejoint marks are
between which, on each side of the foot, are two confronted dragons (elephants accord-

ing to the catalogue of the National Palace

a date

of the eleventh century

B.C.

The

Museum). The design of this

kuei indicates

cast inscription appears inside the vessel

on the

bottom. The top character, men, the pictograph for door, clearly shows two panels
Men-tsu-ting kuei

nth century

B.C.

Bronze. National Palace

Museum,

Taipei, Taiwan,

Republic of China

of a door, but probably

refers to the

name of a

clan.

2B

2 A (actual

size)

2 c (actual size)

(actual size)

S/ii7i

Sidi^

ktiei.

779

B.C.

Bronze. National Central

Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of

Museum,

China

3.

Large Seal Script

Chou

dynasty

Cast Inscription on a Bronze Kiiei {Shih Sung kuei) in the National

Central

779

Museum,

of China

Taipei, Taiwan, Republic

B.C.

Ink rubbing (contemporary)

9

A X5%

Philadelphia

Museum of Art

Sixty-three characters appear

on

the inside

bottom of this bronze

dedicated by Shih Sung, a high court officer of the

Chou

dynasty.

kiici [see illustration),

The

inscription reads:

During the Chou dynasty, on the Tm^ shih day in the fifth month of the third year
of the Yu Emperor's reign [779 B.C.], the Emperor Yu, who at that time was
residing in the western capital [Hao-ching], ordered the Court Historian Sung to
of Su, just outside of Lo-yang, for an official inspection. The
Lord of the neighboring fief of Su, together with his highest officials, proceeded to
the eastern capital [Lo-yang] to meet this Court Historian. Thereupon the official
mission was brought to a successful close. The Lord of Su presented the Emperor's
representative with a beautiful jade ornament [f/;rt/i_^], four tine horses, and a quantity of excellent copper. The Court Historian had the copper cast into this kuei,
travel to the State

which was then

inscribed with the following paean:

"May

I,

Sung, enjoy longevity,

never forgetting to give praise and thanks to the Emperor for

instructions.

May my

his

enlightened
"

sons and grandsons forever treasure this precious vessel.

Translation courtesy of the National PalaccMuseuni

Several other bronze vessels with similar inscriptions, also dedicated by Shih Sung, are

known. By the time of the Chou dynasty, Chinese characters had increased in number,
and inscriptions, in length. The characters were written in a uniform size; a true script
had evolved,

later referred to as "large seal script" (ta-chuait).

large seal script

was devised

in the ninth century B.C.

of bronze inscriptions shows that

it

had developed

According to

tradition,

by Shih Chou, but the evidence

as early as the

twelfth century B.C.

,,-;*;/S'^fet|y,:,

^'-^-^^'V

3 (actual size)

-,

The "Stone Drum" known as T'ien ch'e

first two characters of the inscription

4.

shih, after the

Large Seal Script

Pre-Ch'm period

The Ten "Stone Drums"

8th-3rd century

(Shih-kii wen) in

Shanghai

B.C.

Ink rubbings (Ming dynasty),

mounted

as a

handscroll

Height 173/4"; widths from 18V4" to zzVs"

Wango H. C. Weng Collection, New York

The oldest lengthy text engraved on stone can be found on a set of ten stones cut in
drum form, generally referred to as the ten "Stone Drums," which have been fondly
regarded in China throughout the ages. The text records royal hunting expeditions.
Since their discovery in the seventh century a.d. at Paoki (Shensi Province), the Stone

Drums have had a varied history, including the loss of Drum number three and moves
to many different locations. At the Sung imperial court, owing to the efforts of Emperor
Hui-tsung (r. 1100-1125), Drum number three was copied and replaced. It is known
that at one time Emperor Hui-tsung housed the Drums at the Imperial University.
in the Pao-ho Palace, and the engravings were
Chin troops captured the Sung capital of Kaifeng in
1 126, they removed the stones to Peking, and chiseled away the gold inlay, further
damaging the characters. Until recently, the Drums were installed in the hallway of
the Academy of Learning in Peking. Now they are in Shanghai.

Later, in

inlaid

about 11 13, they were placed

with gold.

When

the

Traditionally the engravings have been dated into the

Wang

reign of the

Emperor Hsiian

found

homeland of the Ch'in

Chou

dynasty, during the

and the writing attributed to the

supposed creator of large seal script, Shih Chou (ninth century B.C.). But scholars have
suggested many other datings. It is now generally agreed that the Stone Drums were
in the

Kuo Mo-jo

(r.

827-782

state

B.C.),

and the

texts refer to the ruling clan

of Ch'in.

and Chang Kuang-yiian

{Hsien Ch'in shih kii ts\in shih k'ao, Yang-ming Shan, 1966) believe they were engraved
in 770 B.C., in the time of Duke Hsiang of Ch'in, a distant ancestor of the Emperor,
Shih Huang-ti, the founder of the Chin empire.
The writing engraved around the surface of the Drums represents a style in transition
from the large seal script of the bronze inscriptions to the small seal script [hsiao-chtian),
the official writing of the Chin empire, which was imposed by the government when
It unified the country. Later, the small seal script became more stylized and ordered
than the script on the Drums. The calligraphy on the Stone Drums was extolled for its
archaic beauty and revered for its survival through the ages by the most famous poets
and historians of the T'ang and Sung dynasties {see no. 33). In calligraphic art it stands
as the ideal of antiquity.
{Shih-kii

wen yen-chiu,

rev. ed., Peking, 1953)

Jk.

(Drum known

as

Wo

ch'e shih, detail)

5.

Small Seal Script

A.

Ch'in dynasty

Molded Pottery Roof Tile Design

3rd century B.C.

Ink rubbing (probably early 20th century)

Diameter 7 " (image)

Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
B.

Han dynasty
Molded Pottery Roof Tile Design
c.

century

1st

B.C.

Ink rubbing (contemporary)

Diameter 7" (image)

Private collection, Honolulu (ex-collection Mrs.

Terminal roof tiles with molded designs were made

John M.

in the late

Allison)

Chou

dynasty, but the

use of characters as architectural ornaments seems to have developed in the state of Yen
in the period

dynasties.

between 481 and 222 B.C., and was continued in the Ch'in and Han
number of these tile designs, in stylized small seal script, are known

large

to us today.

This Ch'in

tile

is

where the ancient

of a type found in the south of Hsien-yang, once a part of Ch'ang-an,

of the Ch'in dynasty was located, and has thus been dated to

capital

Its inscription reads, "Long life without end

[Cliati^ sheno wit chi).
During the Han dynasty molded tiles came into wider use. The division of the tile
end into two or four sections containing characters in relief is typical of the Western
Han dynasty (206 b.c.-a.d. 8). These characters were designed to conform to the
circular form, appearing like ropes winding steadily within their spatial limits. The
central knob on the tile resembles those on bronze mirrors of the Han dynasty. This Han
tile bears the inscription, "A thousand Autumns, ten thousand years [of prosperity]"
{Ch'ieii ch'in wan sui). According to the CliaiK^-an chili, the Western Han Emperor
(r. 140-87 B.C.) had a palace called IVnn sui kiiiig. The last two words on the tile
may refer to this palace, but this was also a popular term in Han China connoting good
fortune. Such tiles have been found in many parts of China.
The technique of tile decoration in relief is quite dit^'erent from the later art of the
brush. However, no matter how it was executed, Chinese writing never was far
removed from its pictorial origins.

that period.

Wu

"

.*,* *-*1W

*'^.

.%.

^f'"^^^^-^

V_i-fl

i>K

~T

H^

^^^/
v;^-^

^U

6.

Official Script

Han

dynasty

Four

Wooden

1st

century

Tablets from Chii-yen (Kansu Province)

B.C.

(one dated 42 B.C.)

Black pigment on
Lengths from

wood

"
7V2 " to gVa

Collection John

M. Crawford,

Before paper was invented

(see

Noel Barnard,

Deciphennctit

in

Jr.,

New York

China, materials used for writing included fabrics of silk

Scientific Exmiiiiiatioii of

an Ancient Chinese Document as a Prelude

Translation, and Historical Assessment

The

to

Ch'u Silk Manuscript [Mono-

4], Canberra, 1971) and other fibers, and wooden and

which were tied together in sets. The earliest of these tablets were
found in Changsha (Hunan Province), south of the Yangtze River, and may be dated
in the late Chou dynasty. Even after the invention of paper (traditionally dated a.d.
105), the custom of writing on tablets continued into the si.xth century due to the limited
production of paper until about that time. Written characters appear on tunerary

graphs on Far Eastern History

bamboo

tablets,

pottery and lacquerware, but they date no earlier than the second century a.d.

These four tablets come from the site of Chii-yen, located to the northeast of Tunhuang (Kansu Province), which was under Chinese domination during the Han dynasty.
The site of Chii-yen was uncovered in 1930, and many wooden tablets bearing written
inscriptions were found. Also excavated there was a complete brush (a replica of which
is in the East Asian Library, Columbia University, New York). The most comprehensive study of these discoveries was published by Lao Kan [Chii-yen Han-chien k'ao-shih,
6 vols., Chungking, 1943-44). He examined more than ten thousand wooden tablets
and grouped them into five categories. Most of the writings are official documents
government records, accounts, deeds, census and revenue records, etc. and thus this
style was called "official" or "clerical" script.
The written vocabulary has increased greatly. These writings were not conceived of
as art;

they are extremely simplified and have completely lost the pictographic char-

acteristics,

reaching a stage ot pure abstraction. Here the horizontal lines go to the

right as stressed feature strokes, giving the writing a natural sense

position, these strokes

By

convey rhythm and contribute

the middle of the

first

century

writing were becoming refined.

quality of the ink

brushwork used

is

newly

An

evident.

in the applied arts,

B.C.,

when

of design. In

com-

a lively quality.

these tablets

were written, the

tools

of

awareness of the softness of the brush and ot the

The

art

of handwriting grew out of the lacquer

and developed

fully in the following century.

i-ji

r
\

;;

6 (tablet at

left is also

inscribed with five characters

on the

reverse)

i^*

7.

Official Script

Han

dynasty

"Stele of Shih

Ch'en" {Sink Clien

pci) at the

Confucian Temple

in Ch'ii-fu (Shantung Province)

A.D. 169
Ink rubbings (17th century), bound in album form

ioy8"x5%" (each leaf)

Wango H. C. Weng Collection, New York
Carved on the face of this stele, measuring 84 by 40 inches, is a memorial dedicated to
the Emperor by Minister Shih Ch'en recording a ceremony at the Confucian Temple.
The reverse bears a text describing the splendor of the ceremony. For a long tin:e this
stele has been regarded as one of the finest classical models of the official style. The
texts have been recorded in Chin shih ts'ui-pien, edited by Wang Ch'ang (Shanghai,
1805). The size of the characters and the space between them vary from front to back
because of the difference in the number of characters on each side. The writing, however, obviously was produced by one hand, although the artist is unknown.
During the period from the Ch'in dynasty to the Later Han dynasty, the official
developed its own features, although within this script there were still

script fully

certain variations.

The

significance

The

purest

of this

is

form was sometimes referred

conjectural:

it

may mean

to as pa-fen ("eight-tenths

that eight-tenths of the script

remaining two-tenths being still in the manner of seal

or that
two stressed feature strokes were like the character pa
composed withm eight-tenths of a square (a rectangle). Pa-fen is used
distinctive, the

the

"classical" style

of official

script,

Han

penetrating every sphere of

The

spirit,

and

it

The many

became

variations

use of the resilient

is

the

or that

was

to refer to the

dynasty, Confucianism was highly influential,

official script

properly represented

symbol of the Confucian gentleman.

in the quality of line are attributable

its

civilized

to the composition

and

brush. The strokes are interlocked with method and the structure

balanced, the appearance

this

script;

this script

of which the best examples date from the second and

third centuries a.d. In the Later

life.

).

was

is

formal, the

mood

of brush and paper, that established the

earnest,

and the

spirit austere. It

knowing appreciation of the

dominance of the brushstroke in

expressive quality, achieved through a

was

relationship
calligraphy.

7 (two leaves)

8.

Regular Script
Three Kingdoms period (Wei dynasty)
"Proclamation" {Hsiian shift picio) and "Reply" {Huan

Chung Yao

(a.d.

shift

neft)

151-230)

A.D. 221

Ink rubbing (probably i8th century)

11" X 1378"
Field

Museum of Natural

History, Chicago

Chung Yao's other name was Yiian-ch'ang. He was a native of Ying-ch'uan (Honan
Province). Durmg the early years of the Wei dynasty, he served as Premier. His last
assumed in 227, was that of Grand Tutor.
These writings were engraved during the reign of the Sung Emperor T'ai-tsung, in
a collection called Cfi'im hiia tio t'ieh, completed in 992. It was the first large group of
choice examples by famous masters of previous dynasties engraved as a collection and
official post,

reproduced

as

rubbings, which served as models for students of calligraphy.

Many more

were made after the first edition.

During the Wei dynasty, the regular script (cheii-shu) had begun to evolve from the
official script, for which Chung Yao was at first noted. His regular script developed
later, and he became generally regarded as the first and finest master of this style. He
preferred to work on a small scale, the art of calligraphy having begun in a clear and
intimate manner. His style is lofty, plain, pure, and concise.
Wang Hsi-chih (nos. 9, iga-d), the famous calligrapher of the fourth century, admired him greatly. Some Sung scholars suspected that the handwritten version of

copies

Chung

Yao's "Proclamation" had been a traced copy by

possible that the

"Reply"

may

Wang

Hsi-chih.

It

is

also

have been copied by T'ang artists. These texts are two

style of writing by Chung Yao.

of the few extant examples of the

Juan Yiian (1764-1849), using the traditional division of the schools of painting as
model, classified calligraphic art into two schools. According to his code, the Southern
school follows the tradition of Chung Yao and Wang Hsi-chih, who were masters of
a

manuscript and
brush.

engraved

of the

letter

The Northern
in the

forms, exploring the

more

sophisticated

school includes those masters

Northern

dynasties.

rustic stone-cut inscriptions.

They worked

who

wrote

in firm,

movement of the
in the style

of the

soft

steles

angular lines in the tradition

8 (detail)

Cursive Script

9.

Chin dynasty

"On the Seventeenth" (Shih-clii

Wang Hsi-chih (303-379)

t'ieh)

Ink rubbings (13th century), bound in album form

9*72 "

" (each leaf)

Wango

H. C.

Weng

New York

Collection,

Wang Hsi-chih, also named I-shao, came from the province of Shantung. His father,
Wang Tao (276-339), a Prime Minister, was also an outstanding calligrapher, as were
his brothers and cousins. Eleven generations of the Wang family were highly regarded
as calligraphers, but Wang Hsi-chih was the most celebrated one of all. He started
many

practicing this art at an early age, and mastered

running, and cursive

artist's

scripts.

His

creative style

styles, especially

became the most

the regular,

influential

of any

throughout the history of Chinese caUigraphy.

The T'ang Emperor

classical art

T'ai-tsung (no. 13) encouraged the systematic pursuit of the

He was an

of calligraphy.

enthusiastic admirer

of

Wang

Hsi-chih,

whose

The
them and acted as
curators for his collection. T'ai-tsung engaged master artists to make traced copies
of some of the best works of the Wang family, and had them meticulously mounted
works

in all styles no less

than 2,200 were

Yii Shih-nan (no. iog) and

in handscroll form.

works have been

Many

lost.

Ch'u

collected in his palace.

artist-scholars

Sui-liang (no. ioh) authenticated

of these copies have survived to our day, while the original

Emperor T'ai-tsung commented:

Every student of calligraphy must realize the wonder and the accomplishment of
[Wang] Hsi-chih. The best example of his regular style is "About Yo I" [no. ioa],
the best of his running style is the "Orchid Pavilion Preface" [no. iob], and the
best in cursive style is "On the Seventeenth." In his writing there is not one line,
not one dot that is frozen. This is the Tao of calligraphy.

Wang Hsi-chih, called by

"On the Seventeenth" (not to be misinterpreted as the number of letters in this set). When the original manuscript was assembled
by T'ai-tsung, the collection consisted of twenty-three letters written by Wang HsiThis rubbing reproduces part of a collection of letters by

the

first

two

characters

chih. T'ai-tsung

of the

first letter,

had them copied by the

written the large character

finest artists

of his time.

cliih (see illustration), signifying the

On

the

last

page was

EmHung- wen

approval of the

it,
the text reads: "Traced by Chieh Wu-wei of the
Academy, found to be without a mistake by Ch'u Sui-liang."
This letter was once more engraved in 1109 as part of a collection {Tci-kuan t'ieh:
T' ai-cli' ino-loii hsii t'ieh) sponsored by the Sung Emperor Hui-tsung (r. 1100-1125).
At the time of the Sung imperial edition, the collection included twenty-nine letters
by Wang Hsi-chih. According to the connoisseur and calligrapher Weng T'ung-ho
(i 830-1904), this rubbing belongs to an edition engraved in the Southern Sung dynasty

peror; beneath

(thirteenth century).

Today
lines,

is

It

had been

there are only three sets of

referred to

of Hsiang Yiian-pien (1525-1590).

Sung rubbings known to us. This set, lacking sixteen
in the collection

by connoisseurs

Chang Yen-yuan

as

the "set missing sixteen lines."

in Li tai miiii^ htia chi,

dated 847, stated that the

Seventeenth" contains the best example of cursive script written by

this

became the revered

set

of

Wang

the

model for cursive script. In the T'ang dynasty, the

such as Sun Kuo-t'ing, the Priest Chih-yung, Emperor

classical

great master calligraphers,

"On

Hsi-chih;

T'ai-tsung, and others, developed their styles after the art of Wang Hsi-chih.

Chang Chih (c. a.d. 200)

form of shorthand writing. Shortcuts are taken in the
number of the strokes in regular script characters, which become abbreviated into curves
and dots. Certain principles govern these abbreviations, but the great masters who set
The development of cursive

Han

in the Later

dynasty.

script (rs'ao-shn)

It is

is

attributed to

the standards for the script preferred to invent their

own

styles,

and

it

is

often difficult

to decipher their writing.

The beauty of

this script lies in the

movement of

supercedes the literary content, for the action and

mine

the quality of the calligraphy.

The

art

the lines.

Here the penmanship

manner of turning

the brush deter-

of calligraphy thus involves

performance. The great philosopher of the Southern Sung dynasty,

Chu

a pictorial

Hsi (1130-

1200), spoke of this writing:

I

am

meditating before

the Seventeenth" of

moved. His

and

rules,

nor did he try to rebel against the

naturally.

why

"On

easily

(last

it is

fluidly his brush

Most

air

is

Wang

majestic.

rules.

calligraphers admire the beauty

Hsi-chih, realizing

He was

Everything came from within

of

his writing,

but do not

beautiful.

leaf with large character

c/i'i/i)

how

never bound by

(first leaf)

know

10.

Regular and Running Scripts

Chin, Liang, and T'ang dynasties

"Eight Famous Inscriptions"

Wang

Wang

Hsien-chih (344-386), an artist of the 6th

Shih-nan (558-638), and Ch'u Sui-hang (596-658)

Hsi-chih (303-379),

Yu

century,

Ink rubbings (before 1049), bound in album form

Wango

Weng

H. C.

Each of these eight

Collection,

inscriptions

is

among

They have been

stone engravings.

New York
the most famous of

discussed for centuries

genealogies are well recorded in the annals of calligraphy.

all

those preserved as

by connoisseurs, and

With

their

great reverence, they

were copied by nearly every student of calligraphy. The eight separate rubbings, now
mounted in one album, were assembled by Hsiang Yiian-pien (i 525-1 590). At the end
of the eight inscriptions, Hsiang wrote: "In the year 1577, Autumn, [I] bought [these
inscriptions] from Mr. Ch'ien of the Wu region [Suchow]. [I] paid eighty ounces of
silver with the bonus of a Han tripod. Remounted in 1578, and stored in T'ien-lai-ko
[Hsiang's study]." All of the rubbings were taken from rare T'ang engravings, and they
were made before 1049. The rubbings were recorded in the catalogue of Emperor
Hui-tsung's collection {Hsiian-ho shti p'u) in 1120, and bear the imperial seals of the
Southern Sung, and of the Yiian Emperor Wen-tsung (r. 1328-1332). There is a
colophon by K'o Chiu-ssu (1312-1365), as well as several by Weng T'ung-ho (18301904), the great-grandfather
tions

of Hsiang Yuan-pien,
A.

of the present owner. They have also been in the

Ch'i (163 8-1743), Wang Shu (1668-1743), and

An

collecothers.

Regular Script
Chin dynasty
"About Yo I" {Yo I

Wang

lun)

Hsi-chih (303-379)

348
91/16"

313/16"

Wang

Hsi-chih {see no. 9), dated 348, was one of the well-known
by Chu I and Hsii Seng-ch'iian of the Liang dynasty. Their names
were engraved above the dating at the end of the inscription. To quote Huang T'lngchien (no. 21): "The writing of Yo I lun is mature and firm; its [deliberate] awkward."
ness shows not a drop of the commonplace.

This writing by

versions trace copied

B.

Running

Script

Chin dynasty
"Orchid Pavilion Preface"

Wang

[Laii-t'ing hsil)

Hsi-chih (303-379)

353

9y8"x
Lan-ting
to

its

hsii

311/16"

by

Wang

Hsi-chih has

long and almost legendary history of scholarship

credit on the original handwriting, copied handwritten versions, and the stone

engravings.

himself

The

original handwriting, dated 353,

as his best

work

in the

from the seventh century made

running
at

was considered by

script {hsing-shu). Several

Emperor

was engraved

in

Hsi-chih

handwritten copies

T'ai-tsung's court, and several versions of

the stone engravings cut at the same time have survived.

edition

Wang

Ting-wu (Ting-chou). Ou-yang

Among

the

latter,

Hsiin (557-641)

is

the best

mentioned

'.

',

j^m^ ^'

,'

.?^7
:|

'*yW

IHB

"i-irn^:^
in

'

1^-^

i!^.

^m.:'

>
'i<^
V*.,

___

'

J^-;

-V

"3

as

having made the traced copy. During the Sung dynasty, most of these engraved

stones

or badly damaged. There has been much discussion about the three
of the T'ang ink rubbings, which were guarded as treasures by collectors.
more editions were copied in later periods from the T'ang engravings.

were

lost

oldest versions

Many

c.

Regular Script
Chin dynasty
"Stele ofTs'ao

Wang
7/8

The

O"

O pci)

X3y2

No artist's
work

signature
by,

maiden Ts'ao O, who

known, although the stele
Chin dynasty is still extant.

of the Later Han dynasty was dedicated to

into a river to save her father.

has been lost; however,

as a

[Ts'ao

Hsi-chih (303-379)

original stele

jumped

Wang

is

The writing

more than one copy from

given, but for a long time

Hsi-chih.

The

style here

is

it

is

a filial

well

the

has been attributed to, and accepted

identical to that

of Yo

I Inn (a).

Regular Script

D.

Chill dynasty

Taoist Scripture (Hiiau<^

Attributed to

Wang

t'iin^ chiii<^;

fragment)

Hsi-chih (303-379)

8y2"x8%"
There has been much debate on the original handwriting of this work, because the
Taoist text was first composed in the year 364, but the writing is dated 356. However,
the attribution to Wang Hsi-chih began as early as the famous T'ang poet Li Po
(699-762).
believed
E.

it

On the other hand, Chang Huai-kuan, also active in the early eighth century,
was written by someone close to Wang Hsi-chih but after his death.

Regular Script
Chin dynasty
"Prose-Poem

Wang
878" X

to the

Goddess Lo" (Lo

sheii fu;

fragment)

Hsien-chih (344-386)

3%

was attributed to Wang Hsi-chih, but Liu Kung-ch'iian (778as by Wang Hsien-chih, saying that the latter was recorded as
having loved the poem and having written many versions of it during his lifetime.
This version is referred to by connoisseurs as the "thirteen lines edition," because it is
writing of Lc

sheii

865) in 825 identified

fii

it

a
as

fragment with only thirteen

compact

as the

writing of

lines

remaining.

Wang

Hsi-chih.

It

shows

a certain casualness,

Chao Meng-fu

writing: "Spirited and untrammeled, the tonality flows in motion."

accustomed to looking

of the ink

in the

at

engraved

not

see the tonality

lines.

Tzu-ching, was the seventh and youngest son of

he was the best calligrapher

served as Secretary General of the court. His second wife was

became the Empress of the Chin Emperor An Ti

F.

is

of this

As one becomes

"white writings," one can actually begin to

Wang Hsien-chih, also known as

Wang Hsi-chih, who admitted that

a dedicated calligrapher,

and

(nos. 30, 31) said

second only to

(r.

among

a princess,

399-417).

Wang

his father; his style reflects the

and

his sons.
his

He

daughter

Hsien-chih was
family tradition.

Regular Script
Liang dynasty

"About Yo

I"

(Yo Ilun)

6th century

8y8"x3y8"
This

is

another version of Yo I lun

{see a).

At the court of T'ai-tsung in the seventh

artists, and then engraved on stones.

century, six versions were copied by six different

This version
in the

is

one of the T'ang engravings. The

engraving made during the Liang dynasty

lines are slightly thicker

(a).

than those

G.

Regular Script
T'ang dynasty

"A

on Destroying Evil"

Preface

(P'o hsich

hiii lisil)

Yii Shih-nan (558-638)

9y8"x3y8"

(each)

came from Chekiang Province. His

were Senior Lord of the

Imperial Banquet and Director of the Imperial Library. He was also a CalligrapherMinister in the court of T'ai-tsung. The Emperor appreciated his personality and
praised him as one who possessed "tive virtues": faithfulness to the court, loyalty to
his friends, wide scholarly interests, elegance in literary composition, and excellence in
calligraphy. He was one of the famous Eighteen Scholar-Ministers under T'ai-tsung.
He studied the art of calligraphy with the Priest Chih-yung (active about the later
half of the sixth century), who was a descendant of Wang Hsi-chih and an outstanding
Yii Shih-nan

official posts

calligrapher.

P'o hsich Inn

of

Wang

hsii

was written

in his

famous regular

long detached himself from the world.

i^

^^

'

..IT-

..'^T'

.^^^

.#: .

'Ik

'
;

3^

>w

&

.:

^^.

::

.1^ IWiii ^^c^-

-^ *^^
:-:vr

'

)^

^m^^i -;-^',-

"m:.

'il.i"

..W^'

"&'
-1

..*

f-

-f
10 G

^l^^

preserves the formality

which was quite his own. Some deof a person slowly pacing on a high terrace who had

Hsi-chih, but has a simple earnestness,

scribed his writing as suggestive

~;-a^~

style. It

"S

V^- "M^^ '#i

H.

Regular Script

Tang

dynasty

"Scripture on Esoteric Credentials" (Vih

/;/

chiin;)

Ch'u Sui-liang (596-658)

654

8%"x778"
Yin

III chilli^

is

the text of a Taoist scripture created under imperial auspices during the

time of T'ai-tsung. This writing

120 Chinese

cliiian

is

dated 654. Ch'u Sui-liang wrote

(chapters) in both regular

and cursive

of each survives. His characters, not bigger than

a grain

script.

this

manuscript of

Today only one chapter

of corn, are exquisite examples

of his small regular style.

Ch'u Sui-liang, a native of Honan Province, was another Scholar-Minister serving
under Emperor T'ai-tsung. After Yii Shih-nan (g) died, T'ai-tsung lamented that he
had no one with whom to talk about the art of calligraphy. Premier Wei Cheng
(580-643) introduced Ch'u Sui-liang to the imperial court. The artist immediately won
the confidence of the Emperor, who from then on relied on him in matters regarding

Ch'u Sui-liang became the acknowledged expert on

Wang

Hsi-chih; he certified the authenticity of his work, directed the traced copies

made

the imperial art collection.

at court,

of Wang

and did

number of traced

were the finest reproductions

Hsi-chih's calligraphy, including both handwriting and stone engravings.
a

copies himself These

11.

Regular Script
Northern

Wei

dynasty

"Stele of Shih-chia" {Shih-chia hsiaiig), in the

Ku-yang cave

at

Lung-men (Honan Province)

c.

500

Ink rubbing (probably early 20th century)

35V8"xi5%"
Field Museum of Natural
This inscribed
cave

stele,

located

on

Lung-men (Honan

in

donated by

Wei

History, Chicago

the north wall, upper

tier,

second niche of the Ku-yang

Province), records the erection of a statue of

Ling-ts'ang and Hsiieh Fa-shao.

It

bears

no

an image by Yang Ta-yen with an inscription dated 500-503. The writing

inscriptions

is

similar

Sakyamuni

date, but adjacent to

and very probably they are by the same hand. This

one of the twenty best inscriptions from the Lung-men caves, called

style
is

it is

of both

considered

Ltiuo-iitcii crh-shih

pin.

Unusual characters appear in the inscription indicating the influence of foreign tribes
the Northern dynasties. The regular script was the most popular style in the
Northern Wei dynasty. Its robust outlook is complemented by this script. Signihcantly,

durmg
one

yielding to the engraver.

feels the calligrapher

resilient

brush

movement

as

shown on

the

Han

The engraving does not have

steles.

the

Chiseled metal-like lines pre-

The primitive
new charm of the Northern

dominate, the strokes are sharp, and their turns and folds are angular.
quality

may

steles

is

in their earthiness

tural,

and corresponds

or

may

not have been intentional, but the

and their strength. The structure of each character is architeccontemporary sculpture, at once generous and naive, with

to the

monumental wholesomeness,

richly inspired the artists

typical

particularly noticeable here. This straightforwardness

of later periods. The

of the Northern school.

tradition, as

Juan Yiian

classified

it,

is

1 1

(detail, actual size)

12.

Regular Script
Six Dynasties period

Fragment of a

from Tun-huang (Kansu Province)

Sutra,

6th-7th century
Handscroll, ink on paper

loyg" X 55V2"
Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City

The
at

source of the text of this fragment

an

unknown kingdom. On

unknown. The

is

text concerns a medical visitor

the reverse of this sutra are a

few

interesting sketches {see

Handbook, Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, 1959, p. 195), which are later
in date, perhaps from the early tenth century (late T'ang dynasty). Translations of

Buddhist sutras into Chinese greatly increased in number from the second century to
the T'ang dynasty. A great many professional but anonymous writers copied these

of Buddhism throughout China.

was done in running script, most of the texts
writing still shows a stylistic kinship
sixth-century
This
written
in
regular
script.
are
with the official script of the Han dynasty. However, the Han script used the concealed
tip at the beginning of a stroke, allowing the tip to be exposed at the end of the horitranslations, spreading the teachings

Although on occasion

sutra writing

zontal sweep (like the feature stroke of the official style; see nos.

6, 7),

while in sutra

writing the pointed tip was exposed at the beginning of a stroke (which almost re-

sembles the head of a

The

nail).

structure of the character

still

stresses the horizontal,

slightly. These characteristics marked all of the early sutra writing

of the Six Dynasties. Some of these writings are awkward, some elegant, some are
compact, and some symmetrical. They are as unusual and refreshing as the translated
literature itself Nevertheless, sutra writing does have a collective character very much

each stroke curving

its

own,

A
used

referred to as the "sutra style" {hsiieh-chin^-t'i).

specially

made brush

associated with sutra writing,

is

manufactured

in

Nara

thicker tuft than the

modulated

It

to have been

is

more common

is still

being

called a "sutra-wnting brush." has a shorter

brushes,

and

is

and

particularly suited to stressing the

lines.

Sutra writing

Tun-huang
found

in Japan.

which seems

survived into the T'ang dynasty, and

as early as the fifth century. It

there.

was not widely known

early in this century,

It

threw much

information about the

Stylistically, traces

light

artists

who

of the Buddhist center of

cache of Buddhist manuscripts was

a great

on Buddhist

art

and

literature,

but yielded very

little

painted the murals and wrote these beautiful sutras.

of an influence from

The manner of sutra writing changed;

of each period.

until the rediscovery

when

metropolitan center of China

in

time

it

adopted the

may

be assumed.

stylistic characteristics

It

^^^

m-

^ ^

^ ^

4^ -^

't

^^

,4

% ^ M

^^
.4^

;^

J^

% ^
^^

JyC

-^

.^ -t -f

^-t

4" "^

If

<

i5:
^^i-

..
7^

If
^4.

12 (detail, beginning of fragment)

.^ -^

A^

f
-^

^ ^ M
^ ^
1:

jiL

-^

'4v

re js

EST

^f

\.^
^^

>^

f.

'It

;#

'fel

;t

ft

-^

13.

Cursive Script
T'ang and Sung(?) dynasties
"Writing on a Screen Conversations between Rulers and Ministers of the
Past" {T'ang Wen-huang [T'ai-tsimg] Yii-shn p'iiig-feng

Emperor T'ai-tsung

(b.

598,

r.

t'ich)

626-649)

640
Handscroll, ink on paper (Sung[?] written copy), and

mounted

ink

rubbing (perhaps 17th century)

ioy8"xi4'6y2"
Collection John M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New York

to this scroll are twenty-one colophons, including several by famous names

from the tenth century on, and numerous seals {see Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in
the Collection ofJohn M. Crawford, Jr., New York, 1962, pp. 49-50).
T'ai-tsung was the second Emperor of the T'ang dynasty. As a young man, he had
gone to battle to help his father establish the T'ang empire. One of the most able and
beloved rulers in Chinese history, T'ai-tsung greatly advanced Chinese culture. He was

Appended

connoisseur of art and a conscientious sponsor of the art of calligraphy

on

{see

no. 9),

and techniques.
The writing by T'ai-tsung dates from 640. It was recorded in an encyclopedia of
governmental affairs of the T'ang dynasty {T'ang hiii-yao) and was mentioned in 1120

and wrote several

in the catalogue

treatises

its

aesthetics

of Emperor Hui-tsung's collection {Hsiian-ho shu

K'uan-fu copied the handwriting (which was

engraved

last

p'li).

recorded in 1194);

In 1182,
his

Chu

copy was

in 1204.

While the date of the handwritten version on this scroll is in doubt, the script of the
ink rubbing is a fine example of the early cursive style, clearly showing the influence
of Wang Hsi-chih (no. 9). It appears somewhat leaner than that in other rubbings of
calligraphy attributed to T'ai-tsung, perhaps because it was copied by a Sung artist and
then engraved. However, the movement is fluid and the writing is of fine quality.
The handwritten version, not a slavish copy of the engraving, suggests the work of
an accomplished artist. It shows how engravings helped to provide a continuity in the
development of Chinese calligraphic art, serving as important models for copying and
training. The making of rubbings was promoted by Emperor T'ai-tsung, and continued to be popular until photographic reproduction was introduced in Asia. The ancient
art of rubbing, whether from stone or wood engravings, has been treasured by Chinese
connoisseurs for its historical significance as well as for its beauty. A special held of
study, chin-shih-hsiieh ("studies of bronze inscriptions

oped

in

China

in the eleventh century.

and stone inscriptions

"),

devel-

>

-^^

*f

^}

?i f
^ a t

S! J^ ^' /^
"^ '^
^.^

-^

1%

^
1-

A
^
13 (written

copy, detail)

13 (rubbing, detail)

4-

.i^

^1
^
/y

14. Official Script

T'ang dynasty
"

'Canon of Filial Piety,' with Imperial Comments" {Yii shu Hsiao

Emperor Ming-huang (Hsiian-tsung; 685-762, r. 712-755)

chiii^)

745
Ink rubbing (probably early 20th century; one of four sections),

mounted
9'

as a

hanging

scroll

10" X 461/2"

Field

The Crown

Museum of Natural

Prince

Heng

(later

History, Chicago

Emperor Su-tsung) wrote

the

title:

"His Majesty com-

Among

those present
posed and wrote the preface, comments, and the calligraphy."
and signing their names were his two Prime Ministers and other high officials in his
court.

However,

several

names seem

to

have been added

complete text with the imperial comments

by

is

number of years

recorded in Chin shih

ts'ui-pieti,

later.

The

compiled

Ch'ang in 1805 {chiian 84). When the writing was engraved on four steles, a
terrace was built to display them in Ch'ang-an. Now they are located at the
in Sian (Shensi Province). The surface of the hard stone is unusually smooth,

Wang

special

Pei-lin

and the engravings have been perfectly preserved.

Ming-huang was one of the finest of the Emperor-calligraphers.
his infatuation with the beautiful consort Yang Kuei-fei, and lost
he was defeated
arts,

by

in the revolt led

An

Lu-shan

he mastered both the running and the

in 755.

He
his

is

famous for

throne

when

conscientious patron of the

official scripts. In

contrast to the angular

Sung dynasty, his

and luxurious
sensuous
weighty,
reflecting
the
more
style IS
court of the mid-T'ang dynasty. A well-known example of his running style, Chi
ling sung ("Eulogy to a Pied Wagtail"), is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei

calligraphy of the Northern dynasties and the

bony

structure of the

considerably broader and

{see

Shodo zenshu vol.

the

"Canon of Filial

7,

Heibonsha, 1957,

Piety," but

of Ming-huang's personality.

it

likewise

pis. 92, 93). It

shows

is

quite different in style

sumptuousness, which

is

from

expressive

"
;

;f.

f^ **

f-

-'.^si-jc.^ &.

.^

;i^ jf-

sj r:

'

f.

jsE.

^ & JS,T

.^

'

,;^

^ -^ vS

: "

^-

-*^^fflc:
-% s^^'^

jf f*

it,/-1-

iC

: I

#.

-t- i*- jsj

m.

^^ -^ A

s : : *c

.^

f^

>;.

iC

; ~

**.

^ j^

"

'

'.;

.;

* J^ *

'

$}L

t>5t-

=#-

;:

j-%

.:

.3?.

3*

-n.

T-

:;

;n.

4riC

MK

JUS- 3fe >Jt

^ -^ *i

-Pt,

i#-

'

J^ A,'-t-,^

'::

;.

Sih

^-^r

^Jf'

^:i

.-^.^ -

I',"

: 1

A ~:

^. , -g- *.

^ ::: _"^.^i:^^

-fe

a.:-* Jt

^ ^ SJ

*
.

'

;':'

m,

^^

'.::

8PL^ *c. ^:;

^JP'i^

-s*-'^

a* J-

14 (detail, about two-thirds

actual size)

:-

"
,

lis- :

^^

t%

if-:

'

^m
iL

i'

Cis

j^' )si

f*-

Zj'^am.'^^I imr
: :
It !:^'Bt^^
':

-^ t^ m-1- -

r.^

^'

:^ ^ s, ^

.;

'<>
:;

-T r,
.

-it.

::

>'!L:;::;:;-^--.?c::'r\Rj"::T:::;

ig.

"

::

'.

1^

-<-

, : ;

^ ^ v
^ JC ^ ^X
::

*Ji

'

: :

1:^

".

"ifc.^.

=-*

"; ^v

*c ju j&." " jkzz

' t-.

# 'sv-*^ *. .^

-sir-

'f -S-

""

7^

15.

Cursive Script
T'ang dynasty
"Fragmentary Stone Copy of 'Essay of a Thousand Characters
{Cliien tzii wen ttiaii pei)
Attributed to

Chang

Hsii (act. 713-740)

hik rubbing (probably early 20th century, one of six sections)

X zgVi

II

Field

Museum of Natural

History, Chicago

This fragmentary stone engraving has

as to the attribution,

of Suchow

(in

lost its signature

but most scholars agree that

present-day Kiangsu Province),

it

and

date.

There

is

some doubt

could be by Chang Hsii.

Chang

Hsii,

w^ho served

his best

work under

influence.

its

native

superinten-

as

dent of a ministry, was one of the best-known calligraphers of his time.

bohemian, he loved wine and did

When

typical

studying

rhythm while hearing the

music of a street band. Watching two peddlers with poles balanced on their shoulders
fighting their way along a narrow path and trying to avoid entanglement, and seeing
a sword dance by the courtesan, Kung-sun Ta-niang (who also figures in a poem of
the T'ang poet Tu Fu), impressed their influence on his brush technique. The T'ang
Emperor Wen-tsung (r. 827-840) remarked: "Li Po's poetry. General P'ei Min's sword
dance, and Chang Hsii's cursive script are 'Three Wonders of Our Time!' " Another
story in the late ninth century text, the T'aii^^ cliao iniiig hna hi ("Record of Famous
Paintings of the T'ang Dynasty") by Chu Ching-yiian, relates the movements of the
the art of calligraphy, he discovered the secret of pace and

human body

to the arts of painting

General P'ei Min, after offering

[d.

Wu

792] to paint a mural.

"I

and calligraphy:
[as

have heard about your famous

would

inspire

me

a gift]

silk

and gold, invited

Wu

Tao-tzu

refused the silk and gold saying to the General:

in the heroic

sword. If you perform for me,

art ot the

mood, and

I.

in return, will paint the

mural

it

for

you."

sword dance. Wu wielded his brush and

dashed off a mural in a few hours. Chang Hsii was present and added his cursive
writing [to the mural]. All those present exclaimed that these were "Three Wonders" marked in one day.
General P'ei performed

Chang

Hsii's cursive style

marked departure from the

Wang

a spectacular

was referred

to as the "delirious script,"

cursive style of the

Chang

Han

calligrapher

which was

Chang Chih and of

shows an extravagant rendering of lines

and a rapid execution. One single stroke winds and circles to complete several characters without a break. Indeed, the movement is like that of a dancer handling a sword,
which glitters and whirls in the air in musical rhythm. Chang Hsii's movement is unpredictable, sometimes being compared to that of the long-armed gibbon swinging in
the trees, at other times to the thunder and lightning crashing in the clouds. As the
Hsi-chih (no.

writer

Tung Yu

ch nan

hna pa):

Chang

9).

Hsii's style

said in 1125 in his

Hsu's writing

is

far

book of essays on

beyond

the

calligraphy and painting [Kiiang-

form of reality.

Yet when the storm

over, and the clouds are calm, the weird and excessive once again recede.

movements, not
This

is

a single

his greatness.

one

is

out of line and every stroke

is

under

his

is

Of his

command.

15

16.

Cursive Script
T'ang dynasty
"Farewell to General P'ei" {Sung P'ci Chiaiig-chiin

sliu)

Yen Chen-ch'ing

(709-785)
Ink rubbing (probably early 20th century)

13%
Field

X37
Museum of Natural

History, Chicago

the finest calligraphers at the court of Ming-huang

(Emperor Hsiian-tsung, r. 712-755). He was appointed as Investigation Censor of the
Bureau of Administration, and was famous for his honesty and integrity, eventually
receiving the title Duke of Lu. During his mid-thirties he began to study the art of
calligraphy with Chang Hsu (no. 15). In his treatise, "The Twelve Aspects of Brushstrokes as Taught by Chang Hsii," he also described his own experiences in learning
the essence of the art. He quoted the famous saying by Ch'u Sui-liang (no. ioh) that
a line should appear like "the imprint of a seal" or "an awl that draws on sand," that
is, with every evidence of the brush hidden by concealing the tip. He learned much
of this from stone engravings.
Yen Chen-ch'ing was best known for his regular script; he also excelled in the
cursive style. Su Shih (1036-1101) admired him above all others, and referred to the
quality of his calligraphy as "possessing [honest] awkwardness." It is generally agreed
that his calligraphy shows the greatness of his personality: the heroic bearing and an
awesomeness like that seen in the figures of temple guardians.
This cursive script was dedicated to a General P'ei, who it has been suggested, might
have been a relative of the same General P'ei Min, the master of the sword dance {see
no. 15). Here Yen Chen-ch'ing combined his masterful regular and running scripts
most effectively. His line moves like a dancing sword, twisting and turning over the
surface in rhythmic beat. His dot is compared with a "falling rock," his line moves
as "summer clouds,
his inward hook is "bending metal," his outward curve is a
taut "charging bow, his cross stroke is an "arrow about to be released." He wrote in
various styles, but each was always distinctly his own.

Yen Chen-ch'ing was one of

"

"

i k
&

i"^-

^ X

r-

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1.
17 (detail

17.

of lower

.'^

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Cursive Script
T'ang dynasty

"Holy Mother" {Sheng

The Monk

imi t'ieh)

Huai-su (737-after 798)

793
Ink rubbing (probably early 20th century)
251/2"
Field

The
The
ing

text

x5oy4"

Museum of Natural

History, Chicago

of the writing was composed in a.d. 343 and dedicated to a provincial goddess.
is signed by Huai-su and bears the date 793
the stone engrav-

original handwriting
is

dated 1088.

The Monk

Huai-su, whose family name was Ch'ien, was a native of Changsha

(Hunan Province). He was a Buddhist monk and a disciple of the great priest Hsiiantsang. In his later years, he was devoted to the art of calligraphy. The worn brushes
he discarded piled up so high that he referred to them as "a tomb of brushes." He had
little money to buy paper, and he often used banana leaves for practice work. Once,
as he was watching the wind blowing summer clouds, he was enlightened as to the
meaning of the art of calligraphy. The poet Li Po and his friends all admired Huai-su's
writing. Like Chang Hsii (no. 15), Huai-su was also fond of wine. Under its influence,
his brush would fly as in a fury, his strokes were as snakes striking. Sometimes a line
travels on for several characters like a length of wire. People used to call his writing
the "wild cursive script," which followed the "delirious" manner of Chang Hsii.
In this writing, the Imes spring light-footed, the curves are rolling loops. This is one
of Huai-su's more disciplined creations. Chang Hsii's cursive script, in comparison, has
more confined movement with the tip of the brush turning and folding within a
single stroke. Huai-su made use of the seal-script technique: he employed the full,
round middle tip of the brush [sec (ig. 9a), guiding the handle rather than folding and

modulating the

tip.

Huai-su has

his

own

sweeping greatness.

H"

J.

18.

Regular Script
T'ang dynasty
"Sutra of Madhyamagama" (chapter nine)
8th century (?)

Handscroll, ink on paper

io%"xi8'%"
H. C. Weng

Wango

Collection,

New York

This version of one of the sutras translated by the Kabul priest Gautama Samghadeva

and 388(?) was probably written in the eighth century. No stressed

feature strokes of the official style are visible here, no bending, swaying, no rhythmic
between

lines.

a.d. 383(?)

The

individual strokes are short and straightforward.

within a true square.

styles
is

of Chung Yao

a rather sober

regular scripts

writing tradition.

certain austerity betrays the writer

(no. 8)

and

Wang

one among the sutra

the south.

Its

Hsi-chih (no. ioa,

styles,

"fleshiness"

it

still

is

not

as

The

structure

who knew

is

balanced

the small regular

c, d). Although this writmg

"bony" as that of the small

has the richness

common

to the sutra-

^^^

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^

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to

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beginning of scroll)

fer

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19.

Regular Script
T'ang dynasty
Sutra: "Admonitions to the Monks" ("The Disciphne of the Four Divisions";
chapter four), from Tun-huang (Kansu Province)
Late 8th century

HandscroU, ink on paper

11%

X 34

Philadelphia

7%
Museum of Art, Given by

Miss Alice Boney

was completed in the present form shortly before the sixth

century during the Northern Ch'i dynasty. It then became popular in the north; later,
the T'ang Emperor Chung-tsung (r. 684) banned a similar type of Buddhist discipline
sutra, the Shih sun^ ("Ten Readmgs"). This Four Division Discipline then spread to
the south, becommg the basis of the Mahayana Vinaya or Lii Tsung School of Buddhism
that strictly follows the Discipline. The text outlines rules of behavior, both mental
and physical, for the monks to follow. The following excerpts give an idea of the

The

text

of

this sutra

variety of subjects covered in the sutra:

Only

the wise

taining the

man

Truth he

is
is

Buddha Truth. By main-

able to protect and maintain the

able to obtain the three joys

the joy of being born

Deva,

the joy of meditation, and the joy of Nirvana.

As

a bee,

without harming the flower,

its

color, or scent,

the honey, even so should mendicants wander

into the faults

of

others, things left

flies

away, collecting only

in the village.

done and undone by

One

should not pry

others, but one's

own

deeds done and undone.

Mendicants are not allowed to climb the

heat. This rule

is

enforced

urinating and excreting

as the result

on top of the

trees

although suffering from the

Summer

of the mendicants' misbehavior, of

their

trees.

Rules concerning the pagoda:

No one allowed to sleep inside the pagoda unless assigned as a guard.

No money or other personal belongings are allowed to be stored in the
No one allowed to enter the pagoda wearing shoes made of straw.
No one allowed to enter the pagoda wearing ornamented boots.
No one allowed to eat under the pagoda.
No corpse allowed to be carried by the pagoda.
No corpse allowed to be buried under the pagoda.
No corpse allowed to be burned near the pagoda.
is

pagoda.

is
is

is

is

is
is

Translation hy

Over

the text of this sutra, in red ink, are checking marks of the priest

the end of the scroll.

The

last line in

day, in the Ch'ien-yiian Temple,

approved of it here." The

the

Emperor

at the

official history. It

The

Nancy Cheng

time

it

first

at

two

who

signed

red ink reads: "Yen nien, tenth month, eighth

Sha-chou [Tun-huang]. [He] checked the

text,

and
of

words, Yen nien, should indicate the reign year

was written, but there

is

that name in Chinese

name of a priest.
of running script. The strokes

no reign by

could be a local expression or perhaps the

regular style of the writing

are straightforward, angular,

and

is

mixed with

that

slightly squat, related to those

on Northern

steles,

there appears a certain sensuousness, indicating a date in the late eighth century.

but

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.'' jjs.

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-to

end of scroll)

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20. Regular Script

Five Dynasties period

"Sutra of Samyuktagama" (chapter twenty-five)

loth century

on paper

Handscroll, ink

9V2"xi7'
Collection John

New York

M. Crawford, Jr.,

line

It

entered the Palace collection at the time of the Ch'ien-lung

r.

1736-1795), and was mentioned in the catalogue of the imperial collection (Pi-tien

of script coming before the handwritten text of the "Sutra of Samyuktagama"

gives its provenance: '"The sutra collection of the Kuang-hui Ch'an Buddhist Monastery [Ktian^-lnii clian yilan) at Chin-su Mountain, Hai-yen Hsien, Chekiang Province."

chu-Un), compiled in 1744.

the

last

The previous owner of this

The

scroll has

many

imperial seals of the Ch'ien-lung

Meng-fu

(nos. 30, 31),

signed by six

Yung

At
It

right

bears

These

officials

is

It

once had the

those of Jen-tsung

seals

of the Ch'ien-lung Emperor, including the two calligraphers

and Tung Kao (1740-1818),

(no. 91)

Emperor and

of Su Shih (1036-1101) and Chao

but these have been erased. A colophon at the end of the scroll

1796-1820) and P'u-yi.

Liu

was P'u-yi (r. 1908-1912),

the Japanese placed on the throne of
sutra

puppet

their

(r.

whom

Emperor of the Ch'ing dynasty,

state of Manchukuo.

Emperor (Kao-tsung,

states:

the "Sutra of Samyuktagama."

no

signature, but there

seals are

is

a seal

It belonged to the Kuang-hui Monastery.

of Su Shih and two seals of Chao Meng-fu.

well known. Here they are dry and weak, obviously faked. In

was written by Su Shih

himself and it is quite different trom the faked works by Su Shih generally known
in the market. This is farfetched, and the person who wrote the colophon knew
it, and therefore did not sign his name [this colophon has been removed from the
sutra]. In this sutra the words that conflict with the name of Emperor T'ai-tsung
of the T'ang dynasty are avoided. It shows that this writing was by a citizen of
the T'ang empire, and was not by Su Shih.
addition, there

is

an unsigned colophon.

The Chin-su Temple

lies at

It

claims this sutra

the foot of Chin-su Mountain, southwest of Hai-yen

Hsien on the coast of northern Chekiang Province.

It was founded in the period of the

Three Kingdoms, sometime between a.d. 238 and 250. In the year 1008, the temple
changed its name to Kuang-hui Ch'an Monastery. The Yiian dynasty scholar Sung
Lien (1310-1381) wrote about this temple, and mentioned its wonderful handwritten
sutras. The backing paper of these sutras was so fine that it was desired by painters and
calligraphers (to be used for their own works once it had been separated from the

sutra text).

The

first line

giving the

name of the monastery

appears to be looser and leaner than

The sticklike strokes of the text

Yen Chen-ch'ing (no. 16). However,

the writing of the text, and shows a different hand.

indicate that the artist

knew

the regular style of

the broad strokes here are a bit affected, and the structure and spatial arrangement along

from the T'ang sutra style. This was written by a writer

China proper, most likely in the south; it may be suggested that it was
executed in the tenth century, copied from a version of the T'ang dynasty. Two
rolls of sutras belonging to Cheng Te-k'un were included in the i960 London exhibition, "The Arts of the Sung Dynasty" {see Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society,
the lines are quite different

who

lived in

XXXII [1959-60], nos. 294, 295).

They

are similar in style to the "Sutra

tagama" and come from the same temple. They

are dated

Sung

of Samyuk-

in the catalogue.

^ ^^ -^ ^ ^ <t

JL "r-

;?^ :(^

ei

"^ -f^ 'a

'"

''t

^^

^^^ ^ ^
i

-^
20

-g.

(detail,

3. >!- jt

beginning of scroll)

1^

4<:

jL#

-to

JE

^'J

Jt.i^^.H.r^J^'?^

^^

^fr

mm?,
111'

21.

Cursive Script
Northern Sung dynasty
"Biographies of Lien P'o and Lin Hsiang-ju" {Lien
by Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145 B.c.-before 86 B.C.)
Attributed to

P'o, Lin Hsiang-ju chuan)

Huang T'ing-chien (1045-1105)

Handscroll, ink on paper

9"

13" X 59'

Collection John

No

M. Crawford,

Jr.,

signature or seal of the artist appears

by Hsiang Yiian-pien (1525-1590),

Numerous

seals are

Collection of John

Huang

who

on

Crawford, Jr.,

New

York
There are two colophons, one

this scroll.

states that this scroll

impressed on the scroll

AL

New

(see

is

by Huang T'ing-chien.

Chinese Calligraphy and Painting

in the

York, 1962, pp. 69-70).

T'ing-chien, originally from Kiangsi Provnice, was a student of Su Shih

and the unfortunate political circumstances of their

lives were similar, and thus they are frequently mentioned together. They are both
outstanding figures in Chinese history and, along with Mi Fu (no. 22) and Ts ai Hsiang
(1012-1067), are the Four Great Calligraphers of the Sung dynasty. Huang T'ing-chien
said that he attained enlightenment on a trip on the Yangtze River, when he saw the
long oars in motion at the side of the boat. His regular and running styles, which are
(1036-1101). Their interest

art

punctuated by extended and stressed strokes standing out

like oars against water,

bring

image to mind. His regular style greatly influenced later generations; in the early
Ming dynasty, such well-known artists as Shen Chou (nos. 40, 41) and Wen Chengthis

ming (nos. 48, 49) were devoted to his style.

The wild cursive script of Huang T'ing-chien is rare. A work in similar style, "Poems
of Li Po" in the Fujii Saiseikai Yurinkan in Kyoto, Japan (see Shodo ~enshu, vol. 15,
Tokyo, 1970, pis. 62-68), which, like this scroll, has no seal or signature, is also attributed to Huang T'ing-chien. A writing with this same title by Huang T'ing-chien was
mentioned by Chou Pi-ta (1126-1204) in his book I-knng t'i pa. Wang K'o-yii (1587C.1662) in Shan-hti-wang written in 1643, spoke highly of the "Poems of Li Po." Shen
Chou, in his colophon attached to it, recounts how Su Shih and a friend on seeing the
,

wild cursive script by

Huang T'lng-chien suggested that he look at the Monk Huai-su's

it was not until Huang T'ing-chien's exile to Szechwan in 1095

"Autobiography." But

was able to see Huai-su's original "Autobiography." He studied the writing

and it changed his style. Thus this writing can be dated after 1095. Comparing
the style of the "Biographies of Lien P'o and Lin Hsiang-ju" with the scroll in Japan
leaves little doubt that they were done by the same hand. The artist manipulates the
middle tip of the brush, as in seal script, to produce full, round lines. This is the manner
of the Monk Huai-su (no. 17):
Huang T'ing-chien said of his own works:
that he

carefully,

For twenty years

vulgar habits. In

practiced cursive calligraphy, but

later years,

[Tzu-mei, 1008-1048],
I

when

came

chanced upon

discover the

was not able to shake off

writing by Su Hsun-ch'in

to understand the ideas of the ancients. After that,

studied the handwriting of Chang Hsii [no. 15], the

Only then did

wonder of calligraphy.

Monk

Huai-su, and others.

21 (detail)

22.

Running

Script

Northern Sung dynasty

Wu

on the

"Sailing

Attributed to

River"

Mi Fu

(ll'ii

Chiang chou chmig

HandscroU, ink on paper

121/4" X 18'

scroll

474"

Collection John

The

M. Crawford,

jr.,

signed: "Written in a boat

is

New York

on

the

Wu-chiang on

Chu Pang-yen from Hsiu[-chou], Mi Yiian-chang"

in the Collection

unusual for

Mi

shift)

(1051-1107)

(see

the paper sent

Chinese Calligraphy

Mi Fu's poetry, but also in the signature. He

work "Mi Yiian-chang." He generally used his given name "Fu,"

character for

atid Painting

John M. Craiuford, Jr., New York, 1962, p. 66). The writing is

Fu not only in the unusual rhyme scheme of the poem, which is not
of

to be found in collections of
his

me by

Fu

rarely signed

writing one

before the age of forty and another character for Fu

after.

noteworthy specimen of
calligraphic art, even without the attribution to Mi Fu. Under the supervision of
K'ung chi-su (sec no. 39) of Shantung, this writing was engraved on stone, and ink

This writmg, however, has distinguished qualities;

rubbings of
as

it

are

having helped

now

extant.

Kung make

The

calligrapher

it

is

Chang Chao

(no. 89)

was mentioned
Mi Fu for the

traced copies of a set of earlier writings by

engraving.

Mi

Fu's other

names

are Yiian-chang, Hai-yiieh,

Nan-kung, Hsiang-yang man-shih,

and Lu-men chii-shih. A connoisseur of art and an outstanding creative artist at the
same time. Mi Fu was also a great collector, meticulous with regard to the mounting
and preservation of works. As a critic, he was merciless. His publications on painting
and calligraphy are among the most important in the history of Chinese art theory
(see no. 31). During the years 1102-4, he served as the Dean of the newly founded
Imperial College of Calligraphy and Painting under Emperor Hui-tsung. His own
creations, both calligraphy and painting, are highly individual. His colorful and unconventional personality generated anecdotes about his life that have been cherished in the
art world until the present day.
On his dashing calligraphy, his fellow artist Su Shih (1036-1101) commented: "Like
sailing in the wind and riding a horse into battle, his writing is exhilarating." Huang
flight, what
most admired artist, and many followed
his style, including
Chii (twelfth century); Wang T'ing-yun (1151-1202); and his
'distant descendants. Mi Wan-chung (1570-1628) and Mi Han-wen (act. 1661-1692).
Mi Fu described his own approach to calligraphy: "Other people write with one
side [of the brush]. I write with four sides." This means that he wrote like a painter,
exploiting every movement of the brush, and was extravagant in the use of the tips
the middle tip, side tip, concealed tip, or exposed tip, turning, folding, modulating
with "flesh" and "bone." He utilized dry and wet ink tonalities and rhythmic modulation of the thickness of the lines. There is great facility in his writing; he was a
painter-calligrapher, while his fellow artists, such as Su Shih and Huang T'ing-chien,
were literary calligraphers; the T'ang artists preceding them had been "calligrapher's
calligraphers." The art of calligraphy, until the Sung dynasty, stressed the exploration
of the metaphysical implications of painting. Artists more and more began to emphasize personality and individuality, suggesting that the art of creation, representing the
"spirit of man," is more important than literary content.

T'ing-chien (no. 21) added: "Like

it

touches must be pierced."

Wu

sharp knife in battle, or an arrow in

Mi Fu was

22

(detail)

yi"

mm

'!",

0:
^531

22

(detail,

end of scroll)

4
?

^-

23. Regular Script

Southern Sung dynasty

Couplet

Emperor Kao-tsung (1107-1187, r. 1127-1162)

mounted as an album leaf, ink on silk

Attributed to

Round

fan,

9"x9%"
Collection John

M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New York

As translated by Max Loehr in Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in the Collection

M. Crawford, jr. (New York, 1962, p. 78), the text of the poem reads:

thin mist over the

At the water's edge,

pond envelops emerald

oj

John

green.

in the late sun, dragon-flies play.

There is no signature. To the left of the writing appear three small characters meaning,
"Bestowed upon Chih-chung"; impressed over it is a square seal reading, yii-shn chih
pao ("treasure of imperial writing"). There are five collectors' seals, four of them
belonging to P'an Cheng-wei (1791-1850), a well-known collector in Canton. This
fan is one of twelve round fans, mounted together as an album, from P'an Cheng-wei's
collection {see also nos. 25, 26). According to him, all of the fans are by Emperor Kaotsung. The writing on this fan is in a style close to that of the well-known Cliien tzn wen

by Kao-tsung, now

Japan {Shodo zensliTi, vol. 16. pis. 18, 19). It is also comparable
to the colophon Kao-tsung wrote after Wang Hsien-chih (no. ice), Ya ion wan t'ieh,
in the collection

in

of the Shanghai Museum.

Kao-tsung, the tenth ruler after the establishment of Sung, was the ninth son of

Emperor Hui-tsung. After the Chin invasion, he became the first Emperor of the
Southern Sung dynasty, setting up a new capital, first in Nanking and then in Hangchow. He inherited his father's enthusiasm for art, and was a conscientious calligrapher
himself He wrote an essay on the art of calligraphy, Han 1110 chih, in which he told howhe practiced writing almost every day for more than hfty years. Only then, he claimed,
was he able to write as he desired. At first, he followed the style of Huang T'ing-chien
(no. 21). Then he turned to Mi Fu (no. 22) and finally to Wang Hsi-chih (nos. 9,
iga-d). At different times, his writing style shows distinctly different influences. In
addition, he also had helpers at court who wrote under his name. Liu Kuei-tei, one of
his favorite consorts, has been mentioned as a fine calligrapher, and was among those

who

assisted

him with

his writings.

23

24.

Running Script
Southern Sung dynasty

Two

Lines from a

Poem by Su

Shih (1036-1101)

Emperor Hsiao-tsung (1127-1194, r. 1163-1189)

mounted as an album leaf, ink on silk

Attributed to

Round

fan,

X 10"
Museum of Fine

91/2"

Kojiro Tomita, in the

Museum {Han

the

to

Arts,

Boston

Museum of Fme

Sung

Periods),

Arts catalogue {Portfolio

Cambridge, 1933,

p. 13, pi.

The rain over the long river always brings sleep;

The wind beating against the cliffs all day wafts the boat

He

of

Chinese Paintings

in

86) translates these lines as:

on.

then explains:

The two

lines are

a double quatrain entitled "At a Meeting with Ch'in

upon the Arrival of Kuan Yen-ch'ang and Hsii An-chung."

taken from

Ta-hsii and San-liao and

In the note attached to the calligraphy, Yiian Yiian [Juan Yiian, 1764-1849] points

out that the later version of this

poem by Su

Shih contains the characters for "boat

anchored" instead of those for "boat moving"

as in this case

which

is

taken from

the original version.

no signature, but only a gourd-shaped seal that reads yii-shii ("imperial writThere are collectors' seals of Prince Ch'ien-ning of Kweichow (fourteenthfifteenth century), Juan Yiian, and others.
In the colophon, Juan Yiian says this work is by Emperor Kao-tsung (no. 23).
Kojiro Tomita ascribes it to Emperor Hsiao-tsung. It is comparable to the stele engraving from an original writing by Hsiao-tsung, "A Stanza Corresponding to Priest
There

is

ing").

Ling-yin," dated 1181 {Shodo zenshtl, vol. 16,

brooding and conservative, with

pi. 40).

The

style

is

thoughtful, rather

mature and balanced control.

who

succeeded Kao-tsung, was the eleventh Emperor of the Sung dynasty and a descendant of the seventh generation of T'ai-tsu (r. 960-975), the founder
of the Sung dynasty. Kao-tsung, having no heir, had adopted Hsiao-tsung when he was
Hsiao-tsung,

young boy. Hsiao-tsung was much

Emperor-calligraphers Hui-tsung

(r.

less

noted

as a calligrapher

1100-1125) and Kao-tsung.

than the earlier Sung

25. Regular Script

Southern Sung dynasty

Poem
Empress Yang (act. 1195-after 1225)
Round fan, mounted as an album leaf, ink on silk
9'/4"x9%"
Collection John M. Crawford, Jr., New York

The poem

refers to a flower painting,

My makeup

it is

not

now accompanied by

one:

thin and faded, scent a trace and nothing more.

Yet here before

You

although

my

eyes Spring's beauty

blooms quickly and

Yielding to the boredom of luxury,
said a year

as
I

still

makes

quickly

sport.

dies.

long for the land of wine.

Translation by Adelc Rickett

The poem
seals

is

appear

signed
(see

"Yang Mei-tzu," with

the seal of a single dragon.

Chinese Calligraphy and Painting

Numerous

other

John A/. Crawford,

long time Yang Mei-tzu was thought to have

New

in the Collection of

York, 1962, pp. 80-81). For a

been the younger sister of Empress Yang, but recently Chiang Chao-shen of the

Jr.,

Museum in Taipei has established that Yang Mei-tzu was a sobriquet

of the Empress Yang, wife of Emperor Ning-tsung (r. 1 195-1224). He has isolated a
group of extant writings, including this one, identifying them as by the hand of the
Empress (see "The Identity of Yang Mei-tzu and the Paintings of Ma Yiian," National
National Palace

Palace

Museum

Bulletin,

11,

no. 2

[May

1967], pp. 1-14;

11,

no.

[July 1967], pp. 9-14).

Yang was a powerful figure at court.

Ning-tsung had no heir, and adopted a nephew. Prince Hung, as the Crown Prince.
After Ning-tsung's death. Empress Yang successfully supported the accession of
Emperor Li-tsung (no. 29) instead of the Crown Prince.
In contrast to her delicate writing. Empress

Ning-tsung
is

Ma

Lin,

is

recorded

as

having been a fine calligrapher, and Empress Yang's writing

She was especially fond of the art of Ma Yuan and

and inscribed poetry on their works. Her writing has the distinct flair of an

said to

have resembled

his.

amateur, a natural simplicity.

25

26. Regular Script

Southern Sung dynasty

Couplet by

Han Yu

(768-824)

By

an Emperor of the Southern Sung dynasty

Round fan, mounted as an album leaf, ink on silk

8y8"x8y4"
Collection John

The

text

New York

M. Crawford, Jr.,

of this couplet has been translated by

Max

Loehr

as

foUows:

of autumn;

Its

lofty appearance defies the sternness

Its

chaste color surpasses the lush beauty

of spring.

{See Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in the Collection

of

John M. Crawford,

New

Jr.,

York, 1962, pp. 79-80.)

Noticeably missing from

Ning-tsung

(r.

falls

more

leaf in regular script in the

been attributed to him

Museum [Han

to

Sung

[see

Periods),

regular script

calligrapher

is

it

is

(r.

oj

Chinese Paint-

p. 8, pi. 41),

1225-1264). While

Fine

but
this

it

really

fan

is

of

distinctive and has an evident flavor of authenticity.

and the

quite independent,

is

Museum of

Kojiro Tomita, Portfolio

Cambridge, 1933,

into the stylistic tradition of Li-tsung

undetermined authorship,

The

survey of Chinese calligraphy are writings by Emperor

An album

195-1224).

Arts, Boston, has

ings in the

this

possibility that

Ning-tsung was

its

to be considered.

from that of the T'ang priest Chih-yung

somewhat reminiscent of the style of Chang
Chi-chih (1186-1263), whose mature years were spent in the court of Li-tsung. But

The solidity of this

and Yen Chen-ch'ing

regular script derives

(no. 16),

Li-tsung's calligraphic identity

does not relate to

and

is

is

firmly established (no. 29), and the style of this fan

it.

compiled by T'ao Tsung-i (act. 1360)

claimed that the writing of the Empress Yang (no. 25) resembled that of Ning-tsung;
it also claimed that Ning-tsung's writing followed that of his grandfather Kao-tsung

The work on

(no. 23).

Chang

calligraphy, 5/n( Shih

Chi-chih's uncle,

rapher, served under Kao-tsung,

hiii

yao,

Chang Hsiao-hsiang (1132-1169), an

who

excellent callig-

greatly admired his regular script in the style

of Yen Chen-ch'ing. Chang Chi-chih inherited the style of his uncle. Ning-tsung's
reign occurred between the two, and the style of this fan falls within the range of the

Chang

family.

Thus

it is

possible that

it

belongs to Ning-tsung.

11 Regular Script
.

Mongol -Yiian period

"Poem of Farewell to

Liu

Man"

{S>ung Liu

Man

shih)

Yeh-lii Ch'u-ts'ai (i 190-1244)

1240
Handscroll, ink on paper

i4%"x9'3V8"
M. Crawford,

Collection John

In Achilles Fang's translation, the

Jr.,

New York

poem and

dedicatory note read:

[NW

In the region of Yiin-chung and Hsiian-te

Shansi] half of the black-haired

multitude have fled from their homesteads;

Only one thousand people under your

[none of them fleeing].

You
Your

On

now among

are

great fame

requested a
ing

him

1240],

i,

high

the T'ai-shan.

as

moon of
write this

poem from me

as

he

is

the tenth

poem on

moon, winter,

behalf of Liu

about to leave for

feel

in the keng-tzti year

Man

his post;

for his able administration. Despotic officials

they

and securely

the ablest administrators of our Dynasty;

as

the day after full

[November

may

is

jurisdiction are living safely

who
am here commend-

of Yang-men,

and shyster

underofficials,

ashamed! Yii-ch'iian.

[See Chinese Calligraphy and Painting

in the Collection oj

John M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New

York, 1962, pp. 93-94-)

Yeh-lii Ch'u-ts'ai

He

was

served under the

an outstanding statesman.

work is rare, and

Yen Chen-ch'ing

Khitan descendant of the royal family of the Liao dynasty.

Mongol

therefore

He

khans, attaining the rank of Prime Minister, and

is

little

now better remembered as a poet. His

known. His regular style has the distinct

calligraphic

influence

of

(no. 16).

Yeh-lii Ch'u-ts'ai's use of the brush

is

precise

and dynamic. There is a natural, archaic

shows a kinship to the steles of the

force in this writing, a heroic calligraphy that

Northern

was

dynasties.

It is

clearly the

work of a man of action.

9-

^i^?4il^
e

^^ fii
AJtC
tSSt

27

(detail,

beginning of scroll)

28.

Running

Script

Southern Sung dynasty

Three Poems
Attributed to

Chao Meng-chien

(i

199-1267)

HandscroU, ink on paper

i3y8"xio'y8"
1260

M. Crawford, Jr., New York

Collection John

The first and second poems concern two plum-blossom paintings, and how to
plum blossoms. The third concerns bamboo painting. Chao Meng-chien wrote
three poems on one scroll for his younger relative, Huang-fu Tzu-ch'ang, in
There are seven colophons, the dates ranging from 1267 to 1424, and numerous
(see

Chinese Calligraphy and Painting

in the Collection

of

John M. Crawford,

Jr.,

paint
these

1260.
seals

New

York, 1962, pp. 96-97).

Chao Meng-chien was

Prefect.

frequently

connoisseur of

roamed along

member of

art,

the rivers

ing to the earliest colophon

the

Sung royal

family, and once served as a

he had a fme collection, housed

on

and

lakes, preferring the life

this scroll,

he died before the

which he
spirit. Accord-

in a boat, in

of a

free

Mongol regime of the

Yiian dynasty.

Chao Meng-chien was known for his poetry, calligraphy, and painting. However,
much less productive than his cousin Chao Meng-fu (nos. 30, 31), and few of his

he was

works
a

are

known.

In painting, only

long inscription, such

as this,

is

some orchids and

rare.

narcissus motifs in ink remain;

His calligraphic style

is

typically Sung,

and

his

manner close to that of Ts'ai Hsiang (1012-1067), derived from the T'ang calligrapher
Ou-yang Hsiin (557-641). Its structure is lean and airy. The long limblike strokes,
floating in his writing, are not unlike the orchid leaves in his painting.

)5

fQ

28

(detail)

29.

Running

Script

Southern Sung dynasty

Couplet by

Wang Wei

(699-759)

Emperor Li-tsung (b. 1203, r. 1225-1264)

Round fan, mounted as an album leaf, ink on
978" X

silk

913/16"

1256

Cleveland

The poem,
(li,

Museum of Art,

as translated

Purchased, John L. Severance

by Wai-kam

Ho

Fund

in the Bulletin of the Cleveland

Museum

of Art

no. 2 [February 1964], p. 30), reads:

walk unto where waters end

And sit down to watch when clouds
I

To

the

left

scription

is

are three small characters,

a

gourd-shaped

seal

arise.

"Bestowed upon Chung-kuei." Above

bearing the date 1256; below,

of imperial writing").
dated fan by Li-tsung is identical

is

this in-

another imperial

seal,

yii-shu chih pao ("treasure

The writing on
"Landscape

this

at Sunset,"

by

Ma

to his inscription

on the painting,

Nezu Art Museum, Tokyo [see Selected

Nezu Art Museum, Tokyo, 1968, pi. 2), on which

Lin in the

Masterpieces from the Collection of the

appears a seal in the same gourd shape dated 1254. These works firmly establish the

handwriting of Li-tsung.
original

way of forming

It

is

quite different

from

that

of

his forefathers,

characters and a particular, personal style. Li-tsung

with an

was the

fourteenth Sung Emperor, of the tenth generation after T'ai-tsu. As a calligrapher, he

was completely overshadowed by

his ancestors.

29

30.

Running

Script

Yiian dynasty

"Four Anecdotes from the

Life

Chao Meng-fu (1254-1322;

on paper

of

Wang

see also no.

Hsi-chih" (Wau^ Hsi-chih

ssii

shih)

36 a)

Handscroll, ink

972 "x

45%"

Collection John

M. Crawford,

Four well-known anecdotes about

scroll.

Chao Meng-fu's

signature,

Jr.,

Wang

New York

Hsi-chih (nos.

9,

"Tzu-ang," and several

ioa-d) are recorded on

seals

this

appear. Eight colophons

by noted Chinese artists, among them Chang Yii (no. 35),

NiTsan (1301-1374), Wu K'uan (no. 43 a); and Chou T'ien-ch'iu (no. 56) {see Chinese
Calligraphy and Painting in the Collection of John M. Crawford, Jr., New York, 1962,
follow, including several

pp. loo-ioi).

Chao Meng-fu was

was

also

member of the Sung

known

as

Tzu-ang, Sung-hsiieh, and by other names.

royal family, a cousin of

Chao Meng-chien

He

(no. 28). After

of the Sung dynasty, he joined the Yiian civil service, and was highly honored
by the Mongols. Chao Meng-fu mastered all the styles of calligraphy, and was highly

the

fall

productive; his surviving works are quite numerous. In 13 10, he purchased a copy of
the Lan-ting

hsii

("Orchid Pavilion Preface") by

Wang

Hsi-chih,

which was an ink-

rubbing edition of Ting-wu

{see no. ioB).He studied it day and night, for thirty-three

and wrote thirteen colophons on the writing, establishing the history of the work,
engravings, and its aesthetic value. (A fragment of Chao Meng-fu's copy ofLan-t'in^;

days,
its

and colophons still survives today.) It marked a turn in his style, and he came
entirely under the influence of the school of Wang Hsi-chih. This writing shows
Wang Hsi-chih's influence and thus is datable after 13 10. Later, however, he leaned
hsii

toward the Northern stele technique.

Yii Chi (1272-1348), a calligrapher and admirer of Chao Meng-fu, spoke of "the gift
of calligraphy": "Some are born with it, others acquire it by study. The one who has
innate gifts and has enhanced them by study, must be superb. Chao Meng-fu was one
of these." He was rated by some connoisseurs as the best calligrapher of the Yiian dynasty. To his critics, he was thought to have been too suave, a bit on the sweet side.
It is agreed, however, that he was one of the outstanding masters in the development
of Chinese calligraphy. He was fully conscious of the history of art, and stnved for
the growth of his own ability through systematic discipline. He had a broad and deeply
involved interest in art. He concerned himself with the knowledge of epigraphy, literature, philosophy, painting, calligraphy, and connoisseurship, all that was related to

"how"

creativity

is

to be approached. In

doing

so,

he went back to the

past,

attempting

to "recapture the spirit of antiquity" ( iii-ku). In calligraphy this meant studying the
works of the Chin and the T'ang dynasty (before 950). His balance and analytical
attitude were the qualities most admired by his followers. To a great extent. Wen
Cheng-ming (nos. 48-51) and Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62), two outstanding personalities in art, patterned themselves after the scholarly precepts

of Chao Meng-fu.

30

(detail)

31.

Regular Script
Yiian dynasty

"History of Painting" {Hua shih) by

Chao Meng-fu (1254-1322;

Album leaves, ink on

53/4 "x4y4" (each)

Wango

H. C.

Weng

This album, written by

(see translation
It is

of

Mi Fu

see also no.

paper
Collection,

Chao Meng-fu,

New York

contains the complete text of Mi Fu's

selections in Lin Yii-t'ang, Chinese Theory of

unsigned, but the seal "Chao-shih Tzu-ang"

script.

(1051-1107)

36 a)

Chao Meng-fu copied

a great

is

impressed

An,
at

Hua

shih

New

York, 1967).
the end of the manu-

number of manuscripts of old

masters,

more than

hundred with lengthy texts having been recorded. His contemporaries and fellow
artists, Ni Tsan (1301-1374) and Hsien-yii Shu (no. 32), both considered Chao Mengfu's small regular style the best of all the styles he mastered. Among these, the works
a

of his

later years are

seen here.

century

of age

The

B.C. text,

[see

regarded

as

the finest examples, being attractive and tenuous, as

of this calligraphy seems to be close to his writing of the second

"Biography of Chi An," dated 1320, when he was sixty-seven years

style

Shodo zenshu, vol.

17, pis. 22-25).

'^ \A i^i
j^

'

*\3
/I'N

:^U^^a

-^1.
^,^^^
-dr

1^-^!/^
3 1 (first leaf)

>i%

i^

''^^

4a

^^^f>i-'i.!

32. Cursive Script

Yiian dynasty

Home"

"Returning
Hsien-yii

{Kuei cK ii

lai

tz'u)

by T'ao Ch'ien (365-427)

Shu (1256-1301)

1300
Handscroll, ink on paper

ii%"x84"

(colophon)

The Metropohtan Museum of Art,

This writing

wrote
is

is

colophon attached

poem on

it

New York,

to the painting

Gift of

John C. Ferguson

"Home Again" by Ch'ien Hsiian, who

himself Because of Ch'ien Hsiian's loyalty to the Sung monarchy,

not likely that he and Hsien-yii Shu really

knew

it

each other, although they lived in

same time. Moreover, the writing does not

same
time
as the painting. Hsien-yii Shu's calligraphy
at the
follows the painting on separate paper, and is the complete text of T'ao Ch'ien's famous
prose-poem {see no. 61, and translation in Lily Pao-hu Chang and Marjorie Sinclair,
The Poems of T'ao Ch'ien, Honolulu, 1953). It is dated 1300 and signed, "Hsien-yii Shu
wrote [this] at an inn in Yangchow." Three of his seals follow.
Hsien-yii Shu was also known as Po-chi and K'un-hsiieh-min. His ancestors were
Korean, and thus he also called himself Chi-tzu chih ("A Descendant of Chi-tzu").
(Chi-tzu was a Chinese who is said to have migrated to Korea at the end of the ShangYin dynasty [about 1028 B.C.].) Hsien-yii Shu served once as Recorder in the Board

the

same region and were

active about the

appear to have been written

of Rites
retired

at the

from

Yiian court. In

official life,

his

middle age, some time

and devoted himself to the

arts.

He

after

died

he was thirty-five, he
at

the age of forty-tive.

Chao Meng-fu, he was a conscientious student of calligraphy. Some critics liked

his work and spoke of his running script as being as fine as that of Chao Meng-fu
(nos. 30, 31), and without its sweetness. Chao Meng-fu, a good friend of his, went so
Like

far as to praise Hsien-yii Shu's calligraphy as better

who

place Hsien-yii

similar, but

Shu

each retained

after
his

than his own. But there are others

Chao Meng-fu. Both

own

artists

accomplished something

individuality.

example of the work of Hsien-yii Shu, which shows his own characteristics, quite different from those of Chao Meng-fu. He preferred to write with
a worn, blunt brush. The feeling in it is like "an ancient pine or an aged cypress." He
was influenced by Lu Chi (261-303) and Sun Kuo-t'ing (act. 648-703).
This

is

a standard

32 (detail)

^,y

33 (detail,

^>

'

'I;

^^T^.

end of scroll)

33.

Cursive Script
Yiian dynasty

"Song of the Stone Drums" (Shih-ku

Shu (1256-1301)

by Han Yii (768-824)

ko)

Hsien-yii

1301
Handscroll, ink on paper

I7%"x

11' 111/2"

Collection John

M. Crawford, Jr.,

New

Drums"

York
famous poem by Han

The

text

It is

signed and dated, and includes four colophons and numerous collectors'

is

song about the ten "Stone

(no. 4), a

Yii.

seals {see

John M. Crawford, Jr., New York,

1962, pp. 98-99; complete translations of the colophons appear in Sherman E. Lee and
Wai-kam Ho, Chinese Art under the Mongols: The Yiian Dynasty {i27g-ij68), Cleveland,
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

in the Collection of

1968, no. 274).

This writing, done a year after "Returning

Home"

(no. 32), varies distinctly in

mood. Hsien-yii Shu used a new brush, the lines have ribbonlike foldings (see fig. 9 b),
and the characters vary from large to small. Here he was fully able to utilize the style of
the school of

Wang

Hsi-chih. Larger in size and not accompanied by a painting,

work of calligraphy done

never a painter.

for

its

own

sake. Hsien-yii

Shu was

it is

solely a calligrapher,

34

(detail,

34.

end of scroll)

Regular Script
Yiian dynasty

"Admonitions to the Imperial Censor"

Hsien-yii Shu (1256-1301)

(Yii-shih-chen)

1299
Handscroll, ink

on paper

i9V2"xu' s%"
The Art Museum,

Princeton University

Hsien-yu Shu's signature hne

Yii-shih-chen,

[which

I]

"Over

the end reads:

at

the right side [of this hne]

wrote on the seventeenth day of the seventh month,

in

is

1299."

Three of his seals are impressed beside it. Collectors' seals include the imperial seals of
the Emperors Jen-tsung (r. 1796-1820) and P'u-yi (r. 1908-1912). Others belong to
Liang Ch'ing-piao (1620-1691) and

Ten colophons

Han

Feng-hsi

(c.

1700).

by connoisseurs of the Yiian dynasty. The eleventh colophon, with

title section, was written by the twentieth- century painter and connoisseur Chang Tach'ien. He certifies that this scroll was originally in the former Palace collection. It left
with P'u-yi for Mukden, and it was not until 1945 that the scroll was put onto the
market.

Among

are

the larger scripts of Hsien-yii Shu, this

is

the best, according to

Chang

Ta-ch'ien.

The
was

Mo Ch'ang. It is dated 1352 and certifies that he

and at his request, the other nine colophons were
known of the writers are Chao Meng-fu (nos. 30, 31) and

Yiian colophon is
proud owner of this

last

the

inscribed.

Among

the best

of

that

scroll,

Teng Wen-yiian (1258-1328). Chao Meng-fu

praised this writing as having the

"ancient discipline in every single stroke." Later

Meng-fu was impressed by

Hsien-yii Shu's excellence.

admiration, and

all

this writing,

The

agree that

other colophons

it is

Mo

claiming that

conservative,

all

more

that Chao
knew the essence of
of this work with great

Ch'ang reported

Chao
speak

alone

austere than his usual style.

35.

Running

Script

Yuan dynasty

Two Poems
Attributed to

Chang

Yii (1277-1348)

HandscroU, ink on paper

Collection John

The two poems

are for

M. Crawford,

two landscape

Jr.,

New York

paintings by

the landscapes with celestial grandeur.

Then he

Chang

Yen-fli.

Chang

Yii describes

concludes: "At right [are poems] for

two paintings by Chang Yen-fu, 'Taoist Monastery in Snowy Hills' and 'The Hermitage
in a Cloudy Forest.' " It is signed "Yii" and a cipher. Between the signatures is his seal
"Chen-chii." At the left side of these words are three lines in small regular script.
They begin with: "Twenty-sixth day in the fourth month, practicing in the evening
." The remaining phrases refer to two friends at a studio, and are followed by
rain.
Taoist mystic expressions. The meaning is obscure. Another seal of the artist, "Po-yii.

tzu," appears

below

it.

seal

the only collector's

writing,

is

noisseur

Chang Ta-ch'ien

belonging to Liang Chang-chii (1775-1849), next to the

seal. There is a large title by the twentieth-century con-

describing

These two poems were recorded

how

it

was given

to

him

dm

as a present.

/37 a-b, and i /18 b

of the addenda), according to Jonathan Chaves, where the painter's name, Chang, was
misprinted as Chao. They were also recorded in 1680-82 by Pien Yung-yii [Shih-kuin IVii-lin waiig che in

(3

hui-k'ao, 18/228) with exactly the same misprinting of the name, Chao
of Chang. They are part of a set of fifty-five poems composed by Chang Yii

t'cing slui-lnia

instead

and written himself These two poems had three other poems between them. Without
seeing the original set of poems, one cannot make a comparison with these. It is possible
that
is

Chang

Yii could have repeated the

very dramatic;

this

is

quite

tame

in

poems more than

comparison to

once. Generally, his writing

his usual style.

was also known as T'ien-yii, Po-yii, and by his pen names Chen-chii
(Chen-jen) and Chii-ch'ii wai-shih. He was a native of Chekiang Province. When he
was about twenty years old, he became a Taoist priest. He traveled freely from temple
to temple, and created poems, paintings, and calligraphy in their scenic settings. His
circle of friends were artists and poets, Chao Meng-fu (nos. 30, 31), Huang Kung-wang,
and Ni Tsan (1301-1374) among them. At first, he was influenced by Chao Meng-fu,
then he turned to the stele style of Li Yung (678-747). He developed the most unexpected combination of the regular and cursive scripts, which sometimes resembles
Taoist magical scriptures. His friends found his creative work representative of his

Chang

Yii

personality, as pure as a spirited crane in his independent

way of life.

;C
^

^^

^5

.%
:'

^^

^A

l*"-

til

-ii

end of scroll)

31

f m
^

:-^::'"-i: JKj-.

35 (detail,

^^

^^T

36 a

})ti.

Running and Regular

(detail, signature

and

seal)

Scripts

Yiian dynasty

Two

Colophons
Chao Meng-fu (1254-1322) and Kuo Pi (1301-1355)
Handscroll, ink on paper
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin
A.

Running

Script

Chao Meng-fu (1254-1322;

see also nos. 30, 31)

ioyi6"xii"
B.

Regular Script

Kuo

Pi (1301-1355)

1325

I0iyi6"x 363/8"

These two colophons are on the painting, "Barbarian Royalty Worshipping Buddha,"
attributed to Chao Kuang-fu (act. 960-975). Translations of the complete texts appear
in Sherman E. Lee and Wai-kam Ho, Chinese Art under the Mongols: The Yiian Dynasty
{i27g-ij68) (Cleveland, 1968, no. 275).

Kuo Pi, also known as T'ien-hsi, was a native of Kiangsu Province. He was better
known as a painter than a calligrapher. Although much younger than Chao Meng-fu,
he was his close friend and
association

Chao

is

said to

with Chao Meng-fu.

have been influenced

Kuo

bamboo

Pi's

in the practice

painting does

show

of art by

his

the style of the

and includes the use of moist ink washes,

which is quite different from the manner of Chao Meng-fu. Here he wrote in the sutra
style; it has an amateurish appearance that may have been deliberate. Kuo Pi's works
family, but his landscape painting

in painting or calligraphy are

is

free

seldom seen;

long inscription such

as this

is

even

rarer.

36a

^^
^. *
^
-^
^ f^ ^
^ k ^
*^
^^

i^^

,>.

'*

*j.

^^ J* ^-1 fl"

it.

^^ -^ if
i>^
J

'"^^

*"

fit

-^
-*

.'

^ ^
^ %

it ^^

tfe

'^

H^-

'f

ft *-

":!:

-^

an

f 11 k
't !i
'Jt^

''^
^^<

i'T JE-

1^

^ 'f^
^
5r

-^

JJE.

,i.

'm

36 B (detail)

-$r

.4*

JS.

.tjt^

.1^

111

It

f^

it

?<

Cursive Script

37.

Ming dynasty

Poem
Sung K'o (1327-1387)
HandscroU, ink on gold-flecked paper
10V2

27%
M. Crawford,

Collection John

The poem most

likely

New York

Jr.,

was composed by the

artist.

Its

translation

may

be rendered

as

follows:

My

house stands in

bamboo

Brush and ink-stone are

my

grove, on a stream outside the city wall.

hoe and plow;

No ditches furrow my spirit, no boundaries limit my mind.

On Autumn days, sparrows chirp in the rice paddies;
No wheel ruts pit the road in the Spring.
am content, leading the life of a recluse.
I've sown my seeds, and
Leaning on my cane, watching my children and grandchildren.
I

Written by Sung Chung-wen.

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

An

oval seal below

it

seems to have belonged to the

the better-known ones are those of

seals,

Miao

artist.

Among

the

many

collectors'

Yiieh-tsao (1682-1761) and

K'ung

Kuang-t'ao (mid-nineteenth century).

Sung K'o, also known as Chung-wen, K'o-wen, and Nan-kung-sheng, came from
Wu Hsien (Suchow) in Kiangsu Province. He was known as both a bamboo painter
and calligrapher. As a student, he practiced these arts intensively. It is said that he used
up a thousand sheets of paper a day in practicing brushwork. Eventually, he became
a master of calligraphy. After serving one term as Prefect, he retired and devoted his
time to collecting ancient bronzes and to calligraphy, playing

composing poetry. He was

also

known

as a

his seven-string lute,

generous host: he entertained

and

his guests

Ming dynasty, he was sometimes joined with

name "Sung," Sung Sui (1344-1380) and Sung

lavishly at his family estate. In the early

two other calligraphers with the family

Kuang (fourteenth century). They were referred to as the "Three Sung." However,
the work of the other two is little known today.
His regular script was in the tradition of Chung Yao (no. 8). His cursive script
followed the style of "On the Seventeenth" (no. 9) by Wang Hsi-chih. The style of
his friend, the well-known poet-calligrapher Yang Wei-chen (1296-1370), was very
close to that of Sung K'o. Only a few other examples of Sung K'o's cursive script, in
the same manner and of equally high quality, are known. He combined some features
of the

Han

official style in his

dynasty,

when

cursive script, following a style that

was known

in the early

the abbreviated style began to increase in usage. This particular

which distinguished
it from other styles of cursive script. This style fell into disrepute during the late T'ang
and Sung dynasties. Sung K'o, however, revived the style in his refreshing way. He
gave his lines a very flexible movement, like dancing ribbons, gracefully folding and
combination, used for writing

turning to their completion.

drafts,

was referred

to as chan^-ts'ao,

)k

K
37

-)

-^

'^ "t

"^

^'

'Ml

38.

Running Script
Ming dynasty
Prose-Poem

Yao Shou (1422-1495)

1489
Handscroll, ink on paper

I2"X25'7%"
The Art Museum, Princeton University

The prose-poem, probably by

the

artist,

discusses

themes about banana

plants. It

is

Yao Kung-shou." Four of the

Ime of the poem, another comes after the
poem but before the signature. Three colophons follow the writing, one without a
signature, the other two belonging to former owners in this century.
dated 1489 and signed, "Tzu-hsia-pi-yiieh-hsien-jen,
artist's seals

are impressed before the

first

also known as Kung-shou, Yiin-tung-i-shih, Tzu-hsia-pi-yiieh-hsienand by many other names. He was a native of Chia-shan (Chekiang Province).
Soon after obtaining his academic degree, he was appointed to the post of Censor.
Later, demoted to the position of Prefect, he withdrew from official life, and lived as
and Yiieh regions. He is known
a freelance artist, traveling along the rivers of the
to have been a great lover of music. Whenever he was at home, he created poetry,
painting, and calligraphy in the studio built especially for him. After the age of forty,
he turned more and more to Taoism, and his poems are filled with esoteric references
Chen (1280-1354). He preof unknown origin. His painting is in the manner of
There
is an innate plainness
ferred moist round strokes done with a blunt, old brush.
and frankness in his style, which he learned from the secluded artists of the Yiian dy-

Yao Shou was

jen,

Wu

Wu

a close friend of Shen Chou (nos. 40, 41) and Wen Lin (1445-1499), the
of Wen Cheng-ming. It is said that he used to pay high prices to buy back his
own paintings, which he preferred to own himself

nasty.

He was

father

His calligraphy

is

like his painting. In his

running

style, as

seen here, the lines are

showing fuU round tips. Always properly controlled in mood

and style, he wrote this scroll at the age of sixty-seven. It reveals a considerate and
rather self-conscious temperament.

written

as in seal script,

4k
.4

<L

^" i

'^

!
I

>'''

n
^"

/ ii

ami/ J^

'i'^>

/I
38

(detail,

38 (detail)

beginning of scroll)

39. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
"Song of the Cursive Script"
Chang Pi (1425-1487)

{Ts'ao-sliii ko)

Handscroll, ink on yellow paper with wood-engraved floral design printed in

gold
9^/8

"x 721/4"

Center of Asian Art and Culture, The Avery Brundage Collection,

San Francisco

The "Song of the Cursive

is

poem most

Script," a

of the

a lyrical description

and

qualities

spirit

composed by

likely

of fme cursive

the artist himself,

There is no sigtwo words of the

script.

two of his seals are impressed below the last

"Tung-hai" and "Chang Pi chih yin." Three colophons follow
the writing. One by K'ung Yii-yen is dated 1685; the other two are by K'ung Chi-su
(1726-1790). Both of these men have reputations as calligraphers, and both are from
nature of the

but

artist,

They

writing.

read,

Ch'ii-fu (Shantung Province) and the direct descendants of K'ung-tzu (Confucius).

Chang

who

Pi,

also called himself

writing and his poetry.

he was well thought of by them.

winding

his

brush line

was criticized for

Pi and his works:

at

Tung-hai, was especially noted for

of the

friend

He

intellectual

his cursive

group of the early Ming dynasty,

loved to create large "delirious cursive script,"

manner of Chang Hsii (no. 15). However, he

Three colophons give a good account of Chang

length in the

a certain grossness.

Chang-sha, Master Li [Tung-yang, 1447-15 16]

Hsi ya shih hua, spoke of

in his

interesting poems. Chang

Tung-hai himself once said of his own art that his calligraphy was not as good as
his poetry, and his poetry not as good as his essays. I, myself would respond to
his own remark as being that of "the hero who is modest and likes to fool people,"
and one should not take it seriously. Ch'ien Yii-shan Qen-fu, 1446-1526] once
praised Chang Tung-hai's writing as being strange but powerful and carefree, and
that it shook the world. Since then, his reputation has grown and spread every-

Chang Tung-hai

[Pi],

of his famous cursive writing and

composing poetry, he usually made no draft. When a request

wrote directly on the paper, and it was taken away. As to his own
remark mentioned above, his writing must have been better than his poetry. I
had always wished to know his work, but it was not until this Summer [1685]
that I acquired this scroll by exchanging it for a bag of millet. When I read its first
half I thought it was by Li Tung-yang. It was not until I read to the end [and saw
the two seals] that I knew it was by Chang Tung-hai. I feel lucky to have this
scroll, and to learn that these two men [Chang Pi and Li Tung-yang] served the
where.

When

arrived, he

court
alike

Li

at the
is

same time,

as

colleagues and friends.

It is

amazing to

see

how much

their script.

Tung-yang was the

in the family.

Now

together. This

is

father

mount

of my grandmother.

the

a great sight!

We have many of his writings

two [one by Li Tung-yang and one by Chang Pi]

washed my hands, and wrote this in 1685, Student

K'ung Yu-yen.
Li Tung-yang

was a Premier and a fine scholar. His writing

K'ung Chi-su wrote the second colophon:

Chang Tung-hai's

cursive script

is

writing only in ink rubbings. This

known

well
is

the

first

in the

is

Ming

handwriting

no longer with this

dynasty.

know of

scroll.

had seen

It is

his

precious.

*-:

39 (detail)

His use of the brush and the character structure are derived from the Chin dynasty,

while Li Tung-yang's manner has been learned from

dynasty. In
this entire

K'ung Chi-su

is

Summer, Student K'ung

correct. This writing

is

seals

Chi-su.

different

colophon writer, K'ung Yii-yen, seems

K'ung Chi-su also wrote the last colophon:
first

Before examining

writing one can distinguish the differences, even without seeing the

at the end. 1769,

The

Yen Chen-ch'ing of the T'ang

my family there exist many writings by Tung-yang.

from the manner of Li Tung-yang.

an older relation of K'ung Chi-su.

to be

There are people who criticize Chang Tung-hai, saying that his writing is too
skillful, and that it shows vulgar habits. This is harsh, yet, they have a point. For
the writings of facile artists easily become vulgar. Even the great master Chao
Meng-fu was attacked [for being too skillful]. Calligraphy as accomplished as
that of Tung-hai should be accepted as art. If one is so critical, how many of those
writers in the T'ang and Sung dynasties would remain as real masters? 1780,
thirteenth day of the tenth month, K'ung Chi-su, writing for the second time.

40. Regular Script

Ming dynasty
Album of Eight Landscapes and Eight Poems
Shen Chou (1427-1509)
Album leaves, ink on gold-flecked paper
I5"x25%" (each)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Translations of the

poems and

Tomita and Hsien-Chi Tseng,

descriptions of the paintings are published in Kojiro

Portfolio of Chinese Paintings in the

Ch'ing Periods) (Boston, 1961, p. 10,

Richard Edwards dates

it

pis.

36-51).

No

date appears

Museum
on

(Yiian to

the album, but

about 1477-79.

Shen Chou was also known as Ch'i-nan, Shih-t'ien, and by other names; after he
was fifty-eight years old, he called himself Pai-shih-weng. A native of Suchow (Wu
Hsien), he was the most beloved and influential artist of the Ming dynasty. His family
was old and distinguished in the district, and for generations had kept the highest
standards of scholarship. His art training began in his early years. Using the excuse of
the old age of his mother, he never entered the official life, but remained at the family
estate and devoted himself to the creation of art. He possessed the virtues of the ideal
Chinese gentleman. He had an exceptional nature, was a generous friend, and encouraged younger artists. Nearly every learned scholar in the
region claimed to
have been his student in one way or another. Every mention of him was regarded with

Wu

reverence

{see

no. 43).

Shen Chou was highly productive and

He

his paintings are

own

now

in

almost every

museum

and large calligraphic works by him are rare. His student Wen Cheng-ming (nos. 48-51), on the other
hand, did produce large-scale writing on hanging scrolls. Shen Chou, however, often
inscribed his own paintings with poems and lengthy comments. His calligraphy is
strongly influenced by the Sung artist Huang T'ing-chien (no. 21). It retained a homogeneous style, showing little change throughout his long active life.
displaying Chinese

art.

never boasted about

his

calligraphy,

40 (album

The

leaf)

calligraphy on this leaf reads:

At

ease

we

talk in this

mountain abode,

free

from worldly thoughts,

wind fans our faces;

beyond the autumn stream

Soft singing, the gentle

The evening glow

As

the sun lingers

lies

on the

(Translation from Kojiro

in the

Museum

distant

mountain

ere

it

sets.

Tomita and Hsien-Chi Tseng,

[Yiian to Ch'ing Periods), Boston, 1961,

Portfolio of

p. 10, pi.

38)

Chinese Paintings

41.

Regular Script
Ming dynasty

Poem
Shen Chou (1427-1509)
1493

Folding
61/2

fan,

mounted

Collection John

The

as

an album

leaf,

ink on gold-flecked paper

"x 181/2"

M. Crawford, Jr.,

New

York

text reads:

Usually
Sitting

when

all

go

alone in

to the city, I'm bored

my

little

by the long

trip.

boat.

But now you are here to share wine with me and talk.
And I feel happy enough to play the flute.
White water chestnuts are blooming in random patterns;
Red maple leaves are fading slowly.
Soon, the pagoda sparkles m the distance.
And we row ourselves in on the tides of the Han.

The

dedication follows:

Han-wen

me

on the sixteenth day of the

was in my boat getting ready
to leave. Since Han-wen was also planning to leave the city, he came along with
me toward the south. My house is fifty // from the city. I usually make the trip
alone, and find that except for flipping through a book, there's nothing to do but
sleep. But this time we boiled crabs and water chestnuts, and I shared some wine
with Han-wen. We also had a delightful conversation. Before we realized it, the
boat had arrived. The city walls could still be made out in the distance. I have
written this on a fan to record our lucky meeting. Shen Chou, 1493.

month,

hadn't visited

we were

for a long time. Finally,

able to get together.

At the time,

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

It

has

no

artist's seal,

but shows two collectors'

seals.

42. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
"Song of the Fisherman" [Yii-fu
Ch'en Hsien-chang (1428-1500)
Hanging scroll, ink on paper
49%"x2o3/i6"

tz'ii)

Center of Asian Art and Culture, The Avery Brundage Collection,

San Francisco
This poem, of irregular meter,

is

"Song of the Fisherman."

referred to as the

It

may

be translated:

Rains withdraw from the blue

Facing the pine flowers,

I sit

hills,

the wild pigeon appears unearthly.

in the clear evening.

Flowers are intoxicated by the wind, and the birds from the flowers.

Under

the

bamboo, they

utter two, three sounds.

Ch'en Hsien-chang signed "Pai-sha," and applied

a seal

below reading, "Shih-chai."

poem is not included in published collections of Ch'en Hsien-chang's poetry.

Ch'en Hsien-chang was popularly known as Master Pai-sha and also as Shih-chai
and Kung-fu. He was a native of Hsin-hui (Kuangtung Province). The leading philosopher of the early Ming dynasty, he followed the direction of the Ch'eng and Chu
Neo-Confucian schools of thought (eleventh-twelfth century). His theory was to ascertain by "contemplative sitting" the nobler part of one's inner self, and to achieve a
unity within. He passed the prefectural civil examination once but was not lucky
afterward in the provincial tests. After failing them twice, he gave up, and spent his
life teaching in his home town, attracting many followers. As his reputation reached
the capital, sometime after 1467, he was awarded the rank of Fellow of the Academy
This

by Emperor Hsien-tsung

(r.

1465-1487).

marketplace, he was often out of brushes, and began

himself His weed-brush writing became highly
weeds
together
and
make
brushes
to
admired, and was accordingly valued. Chen Hsien-chang was at his best in the cursive
style written with the weed brush. It is as unconventional as he himself was. His dramatic letters, large and small, show a certain clumsiness, but are inspired in the freedom
of their movement. Looking at his energetic calligraphy, one would hardly imagine
that he promoted "contemplative sitting." His work has something in common with
the spirit of the twelfth century Ch'an (Zen) masters, as in the paintings of Mu-ch'i

Because he lived

far frorn the

tie

and Liang

and executed with lightning speed.

most calligraphy was done in comparatively small
format. Not until the fourteenth century did large-scale hanging scrolls begin to appear
more frequently. By then calligraphy scrolls seem to have become used as decorative
In the

K'ai, provocative

Sung and Yiian

objects like paintings.

dynasties,

42

43.

Running and Cursive

Scripts

Ming dynasty
Four Colophons

Wu

K'uan (1435-1504), Wen P'eng (1498-1573),

and P'eng Nien (i 505-1 56A)

Wang

Ku-hsiang (1501-

1568),

Handscroll, ink

on paper

Portland Art Museum, Oregon

These four colophons follow the painting, "Landscape Panorama," by Shen

Chou

{see nos. 40, 41), dated 1477.

A.

Running

Wu
13

Script

K'uan (1435-1504)
X 1172

hi our district. Master

Shen Chou

is

the most eminent person. His brush technique

composed with
moving mists and clouds. Since Huang Tzu-chiu [Kung-wang, 1269-13 54] nobody
has been his equal. This painting is the precious possession of my friend Shih Mingku. borrowed the painting, and it is [now] in Pao-ch'ing-ko [Wu K'uan's home],
where I am able to study it to my heart's content. It is like entering into a real
landscape. The eye hardly ever beholds so rich a view. This is by a masterly hand.
[I] hereby write these words and return it [to the owner]. Yen-ling, Wu K'uan.
is

mature and the

spirit

of

his ink

is

splashing. His landscape

is

Wu

K'uan attained the top national graduation examination honor [cluiaug-yiian)

He served three Ming imperial courts, and his final position was
that of the Minister of Rites. A scholar-official of first rank in the fields of history,
School. He kept in close contact and
literature, and art, he, too, came from the
in the year 1472.

Wu

warm

friendship with Shen

Because of
respect.
B.

his

He was much

Chou and many

accomplishments,

literary

other freelance
his

calligraphy

13

home

region.

considerable

influenced by Su Shih (1036-1101).

P'eng (1498-1573)

X 9y2

Master Ch'i-nan [Shen Chou]

is

person of elevated and

painting his brush

movements

are there like a

equal to him. San-ch'iao,

Wen Peng

wrote

Wen

commanded

Cursive Script

Wen

at his

artists in his

known

this in

uncommon

taste.

sweeping sword. There

Look
is

no

T'ing-yiin-kuan.

He was the elder son

and active as an artist, being particularly noted for
his seal engraving. The reputation of his calligraphy suffers from his being the son
of a great master, and he has not received the credit that he deserves. More than twenty
members of the Wen family carried on the art tradition, and Wen Peng was the best
in calligraphy and seal art. This writing is one of the finest examples of his work.
P'eng was also

of Wen Cheng-ming

c.

Running

Wang

as

San-ch'iao and Shou-ch'eng.

(nos. 48-51),

Script

Ku-hsiang (1501-1568;

see also no. 54)

1536

I3"x6y2"
Between the period of 1465 and 1505, the most outstanding person in the arts was
Senior Master Shen [Shen Chou]. When he let his inspiration go, and painted as
his mind desired, his painting emerged so naturally that it seems never to have

i-^.img ^^. iiLLk.

i

43 B

been touched by man,

its

his personality. Yu-shih,

Wang

crystal clarity penetrating deep. His painting represents

Wang

Ku-hsiang wrote

this in

the

Autumn of

1536.

Ku-hsiang, also called Yu-shih, was another outstanding scholar-painter of his

time in the

Wu

region.

He

painted only

monochrome-ink flower

subjects. His rocks

with narcissuses and orchids are most noteworthy.

D.

Running

Script

P'eng Nien (1505-1566)

13

The

superior

For even

An

x6

entire

man

is

truly remarkable in conveying his ideas.

foot of his landscape painting.

day spent by a window in leisurely study

its meaning and flavor.

Could not exhaust

Lung-ch'ih shan-ch'iao, P'eng Nien.

Translation by

P'eng Nien, also

painters

of the

Wu

known

as

W.

Allyn Rickett

Lung-ch'ih shan-ch'iao, was a poet and admirer of the

School. His

name

frequently appears on their works.

44. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty

Poem

Wang Ao
Folding

"X

63/4

(1450-1524)

fan,

mounted

as

an album

leaf,

ink

on gold-patterned paper

19%"

Collection John

M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New York

is a poem on the passing of time and the inevitability of old age. It

Mr. Lai and signed with the artist's pen name, "Pi-shan-weng." His

This
to

chih,"

is

impressed on the

last

word. Below,

is

the seal of the collector P'an

is

dedicated

seal,

"Chi-

Cheng-wei

(1791-1850).

Wang

Ao,

also

known

as

Chi-chih,

came from Suchow

in the

the highest academic examination at the age of twenty-five,

on the

list.

He went on

to a political career,

Wu region. He passed

winnmg

was respected and

the third

honor

and

finally

successful,

achieved the post of Grand Tutor.

Although

time was spent mostly in the capital,. Peking, his heart was with his
Suchow. He was particularly devoted to Shen Chou (nos. 40, 41). His
appreciative comments frequently appear on the paintings of the artists of the Wu
School. However, he was more prolific in poetry than calligraphy, and his calligraphy
shows an amateur's approach. It is lean and angular, and greatly influenced by the Sung
artists. His instinct for art came directly from his background as an intellectual, and
his sensitivity shows his great respect for art.
his

artist friends in

\K

H
44

45. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
"Prose-Poem on Fishing" attributed to Sung
Chu Yiin-ming (1460-1526)

Yu

(3rd century B.C.)

1507
HandscroU, ink on gold-flecked paper
12 78 "x 26'

9%

"

Collection John

M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New

York

The "Prose-Poem on Fishing" is attributed to Sung Yii (third century

probably a work ot the late Han dynasty or the Six Dynasties. In archaic
it is

a parable relating

how Sung

Yii, taking fishing as a

to "fish" by means of virtue, and thus gather

Yiin-ming concluded the text with:

all

B.C.),

but

is

prose form,

comparison, advised the King

humanity

into his

kingdom. Chu

On a Summer day in the year 1507, as I was in [Wu]-hsi [near Suchow], I visited
Mr. Hua Shang-ku [Hua Ch'eng, 143 8-1 5 14] at the mansion of Lo Ts'an-lii. We
relaxed in the "Pleasure Garden," enjoying the flowers and fishing, and before

knew

it,

the day had passed.

Below

a lamp, amidst the flowers,

of

commemorate

brush and wrote the "Prose-Poem on Fishing" to

took

we

worn

the happiness

Recorded by Chu Yiin-ming, holder of the provincial degree

Ch'ang-chou and of the chin-shih degree.

this occasion.

fi"om

Translation hy Jonathan

Below

the

last

character are

two of the artist's

seals

Chaves

reading, "Yiin-ming" and "Hsi-che."

Chu Yiin-ming, also known as Hsi-che, Chih-shan, and Chih-chih-sheng (meanmg

"An Extra Finger," which he is said to have had on one hand), grew up in the literary
atmosphere of the Wu region. He passed the provincial examinations, served a short
term as Mayor in a small town, and then became Assistant Prefect at the Prefecture of
Ying-t'ien. Preferring the
to his

As

Yao

artist's life,

he retired from

his official career

and returned

home town.
a calligrapher,

Wang

Chu Yiin-ming began by

following the regular styles of

Chung

and the T'ang masters. Then he proceeded to the wild cursive style of Chang Hsii (no. 15), and the Monk Huai-su (no. 17).
He utilized all of the classical devices in writing. As if without thinking, he wrote with
the dash and the impulse of a child, an attitude that is decisively representative of his
uninhibited bohemian life. Together with his good friend, the painter T'ang Yin
(1470-1523), he wandered about the scenic spots, enjoying song and wine in the
sophisticated city of Suchow. He is rated as the best calligrapher of the Ming dynasty.
This wild cursive script is one of the best examples of the calligraphy of Chu Yiinming. It may be equated with the work of those earlier masters, Huang T'ing-chien
(no. 21), Huai-su, and Chang Hsii, and shows he was the rightful heir to the tradition
of the wild cursive script.
(no. 8),

Hsi-chih (no. 10

a, c, d),

u&
>L_-/'

45 (detail, end of scroll)

rf

46

(detail)

46. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
Poem
Chu Yiin-ming (1460-1526)
1519
HandscroU, ink on paper

I8"x52'y8"
The Art Museum, Princeton University
It is

known

not

was written

in

if this

poem on

eight different flowers

an earher period. The

first

was composed by the

scene of the arrival of Spring in Lo-yang, the ancient capital of the

noted for
It

its

gardens and flowers. Each flower

is

then

named

in order

reads:

Carved

Wind

corridors, decorated in a

hundred ways

beneath trees bursting with a thousand jadehke blossoms.

The

scene is Lo-yang in the Spring

Everywhere flowers in splendor vying.

Peach blossoms

fall like

red rain

Petal

on

Little

wild birds imbued with love feelings

petal covering the green moss.

Fly in contest beneath the

On

days

when

trees.

apricot blossoms unfold

Purple swallows

fly

back and

forth.

handsome young men

Brocade-clad, ride by on horseback.
In the Spring air

artist

or

four Hues serve as an overture, setting the

Tang

dynasty,

of the seasons.

ii%
On
The

days

when

plantain

lilies

bloom

Spring breeze scents the courtyard

moon's bright light

to wake from wine-drugged

In color one with

What

sweeter

full.

way

sleep.

Pomegranates ripe with seeds

Grow
From

near the neighbor's wall.

last

night's poetry, throat

Returning,

we

still

hoarse,

try a taste.

Dew-drenched blossoms cool

in

Autumn

air

Hibiscus cluster in brocade-like beauty.

Avoiding competition with other plants

They elegantly bend over the Autumn stream.

Chrysanthemums grow
Idle there yet eyes

still

beside the eastern fence

bright with

The golden color at my waist and

Compete m yellowness of hue.

movement.
those flower buds

Blossomed plum trees cast scattered shadows across the window

a companion to the brightness of the moon.
The cry of a wild crane flying

Their beauty

Shatters the soul in dream.

Bamboo

straight

single, lofty

and

loyal, a minister chaste

gentleman,

Uniform in color through all four

Undaunted by frost or snow.

seasons

Translation by Adele Rickett

46

(detail,

showing

artist's

signature and seals

It is

signed, "Chih-shan,

the Spring of 1519."

Yun-ming wrote

Two

Chu Yiin-ming wrote

seals

this at

of the

[this] in

artist are

the [studio] Ssu-wang-hsiian.

It is

impressed on his name, "Yiin-ming."

the age of fifty-nine.

It is

in a

manner much

freer

than

that of the "Prose-Poem on Fishing" (no. 45), written twelve years earlier. He was well
known for his love of wine and flirtation and his enjoyment of excitement and laughter.

His romantic and impulsive inspiration

may

be readily seen in

this writing,

which

reflects his personality.

example of his work representmg the exuberance oi his later

period. The force and power of this dashing work need little comment. It permits
comparisons with Western action painting. The revelation of the psyche, the existential
execution, and the romantic self-mdulgences are so evident in Chu Yiin-ming's work
that It may easily be interpreted on the same level as a painting by De Kooning or
Pollock. However, Chu Yun-ming was apparently less serious about himself than
contemporary Western artists.
This

is

the foremost

.^3fi-

i^:^

i%rW^:

^1; i
d^.
*^$^
47

47. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
Poem
Chu Yiin-ming

(1460-1526)

Folding fan, mounted

as

an album

X 19V2
The Art Institute of Chicago,

leaf,

ink on gold paper

7/2

This fan bears the

Chu
and

artist's

Chu Yiin-ming was

a child

able to write characters larger than

art critic

(nos. 30, 31).

Wang
He

Shih-chen

considered

calligraphy of

Chu

styles

of Huang T'ing-chien

brush

tips are painterly.

Hsi-chih and

its

(i

(act.

prodigy.

one

It

was

is

foot. His art

is

followers

of five he was

developed early and

his art to that

effortlessly.

of Chao Meng-fu

Yiin-ming's to be more archaic, and thus superior.

actually closer to the

(no. 21)

His art

fifteenth century)

said that at the age

526-1 590) compared

Chu

seals.

(act.

145 3-1495), both highly respected callig-

Yiin-ming, whose cursive

heritage of the T'ang dynasty,

Wang

Collection

signature "Chih-shan" and one of his

father-m-law was Li Ying-chen

his

The

M. Nickerson

Yiin-ming's maternal grandfather was Hsii Yu-chen

raphers.

The

S.

and Mi Fu

stronger and

down

to the

script

Sung

obviously represents the

masters, especially to the

(no. 22). His folding

and twisting

more daring than that of the school of

time of Chao Meng-fu. It has a steadi-

ness that belongs to the stone-engraving tradition.

48. Regular Script

Ming dynasty
Couplet

Wen

Cheng-ming (1470-1559)
on metal-flecked paper

Pair of hanging scrolls, ink

6i%"xi2" (each)
Wango H. C. Weng
The

couplet concerns ceremonial

York

ritual:

Offering seasoned meat follows the

Giving banquets

New

Collection,

[for scholars]

is

rites

of the Chou dynasty.

the custom of the

Han

dynasty.

"Cheng-ming" followed by two of the artist's seals.

Cheng-ming's personal name was originally Pi, and he was also known as
Cheng-chung; however, he used the signature "Cheng-ming" on most of his works.
It is

signed

Wen

His other favorite name, Heng-shan, was on a seal often accompanied by his signature.
His father

Wen

Lin (1445-1499) was a great patron of the

a center for leading scholars

with Shen

Chou

and

artists.

Wen

Cheng-ming

of his

(nos. 40, 41), a close friend

father.

and

arts,

his

home became

studied the art of painting

He had

been brought up

in

and was introspective by nature. In his early years, coma

pared with the gifted circle around him, he developed slowly and was a poor calligrapher. But, determined and dedicated, he practiced day and night, and not only
mastered the arts of calligraphy and painting, but became one of the leading Four
stern Confucian

Masters of the

tradition,

Ming dynasty. He

in a systematic

approach to

greatly

creativity.

admired Chao Meng-fu

He

(nos. 30, 31), believing

read widely, observing and investigating

of art. Beside his achievements in literature, painting, and calligraphy,

he was also a master of seal engraving {see fig. 19a). He supervised the engraving on
stone of a large series of classical calligraphy, T' ing-yiin-kiiaii t'ieh, which included some

many

other

of the

fields

finest

reproductions as rubbings of the calligraphy of

all

periods.

What

his

friends respected in him most was his standard of the Confucian gentleman. The conduct
of his life was so admirable that it was rated above his artistic talents. Like Shen Chou,

he was kind and helpful to the younger generation.

Many

of

his students

became

prominent and remembered him fondly.

Wen
several

Cheng-ming wrote in several styles, and within his own range, he also had
modes of practice. His small regular script closely follows that of the Chin and

shows the strong influence of

of his close association with
Huang T'ing-chien. This
school
of
directly
followed
the
writing
Shen Chou, whose
couplet is typical of his large regular script. The lines are sharp and straightforward
(no. 10 a, c-h). His large regular script

T'ang

styles

Huang

T'ing-chien (no. 21). This

may have

been the

result

manner of stele engravings. The long strokes, standing out like oars, show the
manner of Huang T'ing-chien. The paper he used was highly sized, and therefore the
in the

ink appears glossy.

The

writing of couplets did not become popular until the Ch'ing dynasty. Ch'en

Hsien-chang (no. 42) and

in the

Ming

dynasty.

Wen

Cheng-ming were among the few

artists

to

do them

T
*

>

..'.

t 'i

^^'

i.

\.

-^
.

>
48

49.

Regular Script
Ming dynasty

Poem

Wen

Cheng-ming (1470-15 59)

Hanging scroll, ink on paper
11' 3 74 "X 48%"

The Art Museum, Princeton University

The poem, filled with Taoist symbolism and references to earlier poetry of the Han
and T'ang dynasties, was probably written for a Taoist temple. It is signed, "Chengming," and two of the
is

artist's seals

are impressed below. This type

of symbolic poetry

generally referred to as the style of the Hsi-k'un School, a group of Sung poets

gathered and inspired each other to achieve a very sophisticated

style.

who

Their poetry

was laden with symbols, with double and triple literary references. Huang T'ing-chien
(no. 21) was an active member of the group.
Once again. Wen Cheng-ming demonstrates how much he was under the influence
of the art of Huang T'lng-chien. Not only does the calligraphy show the stressed "oar
strokes" so typical of Huang T'lng-chien, but also the poetry

is

in his

manner.

k% ^^

1^* J.
49

(detail)

it

\%

t
49

^*
a

50. Seal Script

Ming dynasty
Taoist Scripture (Huang

Wen

t'iiig

clung)

Cheng-ming (1470-15 59)

1558
Handscroll, ink on paper

9y8"x3i"

Wango

H. C.

Weng

Collection,

New

York

At the end of the writing, Wen Cheng-ming gave the date of the scripture as 356, and
of his own writing as 1558. He signed the scroll, "Heng-shan, Cheng-ming," and
impressed two seals, "Wen Cheng-ming yin" and "Heng-shan." Sixteen collectors'
seals are also shown, including those of Wang Ku-hsiang (no. 54), Chu Chih-ch'ih
(sixteenth century), and Wen Cheng-ming's descendant. Wen Ting (1766-1852).
Wen Cheng-ming preferred to write in runnmg, official, and regular scripts; his seal
script is not often seen. Wang Shih-chen (i 526-1 590) knew his work well and com-

mented on

it:

Cheng-chung's small regular

proud of his
dence],
a

it is

script

is

superb and most celebrated, and he was very

official script; as for his seal script [in

rarely seen, but he

Thousand Characters"

is

competent

at

it.

in four different scripts.

It

which he had the least confiHe once wrote the "Essay of

demonstrates

his small regular

of Huang ting ching [the "classic" of small

regular script by Wang Hsi-chih, no. iod]. His running script is moist and mature.
He inherited the essence of Sheng-chiao hsii [an essay by the T'ang Emperor T'aiscript as particularly exquisite, like that

tsung engraved in characters assembled from

running

realization.

century].

His

is

He

script].

Wen Cheng-ming's seal script. It shows his

Wen Cheng-ming was most assiduous in his daily

one of the rare examples of

earnestness
habits.

Hsi-chih's various writings in

official script, too,

produced wild cursive

This

Wang

shows the depth of his contemplation and

His seal script is adequate, in the manner of Li Yang-ping [late eighth
However, he never let himself loose in the cursive manner [He never

script].

and

his attentive nature.

was ninety. It is said that one morning,

of the small regular script, he laid down his brush and

practiced writing every day, until he

having finished

his daily practice

died with a faint smile on his face.

ik;

-.

j.i^.t^Ki

II

lip

iiBiii miiiiiii nil

III

..
>

:!'.,"..'*
...'-r*.. ..n V

'-r.-.
->
r

r>

lOJi-.^^ --r.
^ ...r-

1=^

""

Si!'

Mi

A
..

^(^

ii

^^

I'l i

fl

ii^

^^

It"*

T^ ^
^?^

-r

oMi

^,*

ui

^,2
1

<

,1.1

ST
^)iaf
.

_i_

-1.

>l/->4^

^r

/rn

^"^^

"^^

ofrt

#;

fv

'^1

1=^ Iff

mi
sisi

(detail,

end of scroll)

-TV

.fi-

1 1 ; t i^

/si

S i^ Jf

fc

11 ^* fe rt T ik %\ ^ ^-

si* ^ 4 i ?g t* n t"it t T It s
s|
^^ #
ft t\ ^ z^
^^^

50

f[[i

1^ i.

Il1l i/

51.

Running
Ming
Poem

Script

dynasty

Wen

Cheng-ming (1470-1559)
Folding fan, mounted as an album
63/8

"X

Collection John

The moisture

leaf,

ink on gold paper

191/2"

M. Crawford,

has dried

Jr.,

New

York

on the roof tiles; the sun

is

rising.

halo of green mist hovers over the moss.

Thick greenery brings in the Summer;

High tides have flooded the broken bridge.

The waters

are rising, but I'm feeling fine

Sudden sunlight makes me change to lighter clothes.

awake from my sleep in the western studio, with nothing to do.
Now and then, hidden birds break the silence.
I

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

The poem

is

signed "Cheng-ming";

two of the

artist's seals

follow.

'tis

4^?>%i^^J^^v
n
5 ^h *^ *^ -
4
^^
^
^
f\

^^

*^

51

52. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty

"A Reasoning on Ideal Happiness" (Lo

Chung Ch'ang-t'ung (a.d. 179-219)

chih

hm) by

Ch'en Shun (1483-1544)

1539
Handscroll, ink

on paper

131/2 "x 21' 101/2"

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Given by

friends in

memory of

Mrs. A. E. Steadman, i960

essay, "A Reasoning on Ideal Happiness," is about the pleasures of living at one
with nature, with no desire for striving in the lusty world. At the end of the writing
is the date 1539 and the signature, "Written in the Hao-ko Pavilion, Ch'en Tao-fu."

The

Two
Ch
the

"Ch'en Tao-fu" and "Po-yang shan-jen."

en Shun, also named Tao-fu and Po-yang, was another distinguished member of
School at Suchow. He came from a modest family and was a student of Wen

artist's seals

are included,

Wu

(nos. 48-51), who helped him in his younger years. He was a quiet man,
contented with the life of an artist, and never pursued fame or wealth. Wen Cheng-

Cheng-ming

ming wrote

poems remembering their friendship at a time when Ch'en Shun

was away. On one occasion. Wen Cheng-ming was asked if Ch'en Shun had been his
student. Wen Cheng-ming smiled and said: "I was his first teacher. He has his own
several

painting and calligraphy. He is no longer my student."

Ch'en Shun's calligraphy is like his painting, moving elegantly, galloping like a
thoroughbred horse, distinguished and free. His color and ink are replete with natural

way with

it elements of the art of Mi Fu (no. 22) or of Yang

Ning-shih (873-954), but it has originality, refreshing as brilliant flowers and clear as
the Autumn moon. This handscroll is a masterpiece, a brilliant example of his work.

lyricism. His inspiration has in

52 (detail)

JV

It'

*\*

\S3i

Qrj

^^

"^

'

53

Running

5i.

Script

Ming dynasty

Poem
Hsii Lin (1490-1548)

Folding fan, mounted

63/8 "x 19"
Collection John

The

text

of the poem

Rain on the
I

on

lean

laurel

as

an album

M. Crawford, Jr.,

leaf,

ink

on gold-flecked paper

New York

reads:

blossoms

the balustrade as Spring ends.

am a traveler north, south, east, west;

When will get to see them again?
I

Jade colors

How

can they

So many
It is

offset

by

last

brown

collar.

through the evening cold?

trees here in this

garden;

hard to put them in a poem.

Translation hy Jonathan Chaves

It is

signed "Jan-hsien" with a

The

seal.

of Hsii Lin's birth and death are recorded differently in several sources.
His other names are Jan-hsien and Chiu-feng. He was a native of Suchow, active at the
dates

Wen Cheng-ming (nos. 48-51) and Chu Yiin-ming (nos. 45-47). His calligraphy was highly regarded by his fellow artists. He painted flower subjects in ink, and
also mastered the art oi seal engraving and was noted for his seal script. His running
time of

script, as

shown

here,

is

in the tradition

of Wang Hsi-chih

(no. iob).

tJL
v^

i^^^

^^ ^

;!-

^^

^^

t>g

J.

^ H

54

Running

54.

Script

Ming dynasty

Poem

Wang

Ku-hsiang (1501-1568;

Folding

fan,

mounted

as

see also no.

an album

leaf,

43c)

ink on gold paper

6%"xi8y8"
Collection John

M. Crawford,

light Spring fog spreads

Jr.,

through the

New York
city

The ice breaks up, the green water glistens.

Ten thousand roofs cluster in the sky;
Birds chirp in the early sunlight.
I

am

heavy with thoughts of one

Homesickness follows

me

as

love;

travel.

Everywhere I look, in all four directions,

Horses and carriages dash along the roads.
In the reeds, where Taoist immortals

Must once have

Morning waves
Light mist

tied their boats,

rise.

floats

through the willows;

Orioles sing in the drizzling rain.

My

heart

is

far

away

I want to hold.
But now the wine cup is empty.
I must set out again through the fragrant

I'm thinking of a hand

flowers.

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

Following the signature "Yu-shih,

Wang

Ku-hsiang"

is

the

artist's seal

55. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty

Poem
Haijui (1514-1587)

Hanging scroll, ink on paper

82 78 "x 20"

M. Crawford,

Collection John

The

text

is

poem of seventeen

Jr.,

New York

characters:

Spring pool, deep and wide,

Waitmg

for the light boat to circle around.

The dense
Swept

The

floating

aside

artist

water mosses

by the branches of weepmg willow.

did not sign

'Kang-feng." This

is

this,

but

two of his

a rare writing

by

seals are

little-known

impressed below, "Hai Jui" and

name in calligraphy. His convic-

life was to be firm and strongheaded, therefore he named himself Kang-feng

("The Hard Peak").
Hai Jul was a native of Hainan (Kwangtung Province). He held many official posts
and was a fearless statesman, with great social conscience. He fought for and helped the
poor at every turn, and his attempts at reform led twice to his disgrace. He himself

tion in

died impoverished. Quite ditierent from the statesmen of the T'ang and Sung dynasties,

whose writings
if

reveal their firm personalities, Hai Jui's calligraphy

is

rather delicate,

He had a reputation as a poet. This poem, about a garden in Spring,

mood unrelated to his violent political life. It is unlikely that he spent years

not feminine.

shows a
of training as an artist. His personality was admired and thus his writing was often
requested. Although he was older than Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62), his writing is
surprisingly close to Tung's m feeling, but it has more grace than power.
also

55

56.

Regular Script
Ming dynasty
"Peach Blossom, with Introductory Note" by

Chou

P'i Jih-hsiu (d. 880)

T'ien-ch'iu (1514-1595)

1538
Folding

fan, mounted as an album leaf, ink on gold paper

7y8"x 211/4"
Honolulu Academy of Arts, Gift of Mrs. Walter J. Dillingham, 1958

The writing of this prose-poem bears the date 1538, late Summer, and is signed,
"With reverence, written for Abbot Pei-ch'an, Chou T'ien-ch'iu." Chou T'ien-ch'iu
was another scholar-painter, a cultivated member of the Wu School, active in Suchow.
A student of Wen Cheng-ming, he was less productive than other artists of his time.
He painted orchid and flower subjects only occasionally. This tiny regular script is the
size of a "fly's head," and follows the mainstream of classical calligraphy as evolved
during the Chin and T'ang dynasties (nos. ioa, c-h). Exquisitely handled by Wen
Cheng-ming (nos. 48, 49), it is shown here to have been mastered by Chou T'ien-ch'iu.

'

'S

\?i ^^^ji

'^^-^

^>,^\

iv.%

4*"'-

!*

'n--^

iS.

-ill

'^

m ^t

V^
^-

Iff

11*-

i-V^

#%^^
M^

' /i

?*-Z^

X
56

51 Cursive Script
.

Ming dynasty

Poem
Hsu Wei

(1521-1593)

HandscroU, ink on paper

121/2

"x 20' 1/4"

H. C. Weng Collection,

New York

Wango

This poem, dedicated to a gallant young

man by

published collections of Hsii Wei's poetry.

and three of the

Wei was

artist's seals

known

It is

the

name of Wang,

is

not included in

signed, "T'ien-ch'ih Tao-jen, Hsii

are impressed beside

Wei,"

it.

Wen-ch'ang, Wen-ch'ing, Ch'ing-t'eng, T'len-ch'ih,

and by several other names. A man of genius, he was never recognized in his lifetime. He
was tortured by schizophrenia after the age of forty-five, and led a weird and haunted
hfe until his death at seventy-two. Rated by Yiian Hung-tao (1568-1610) as the greatest
literary talent of the Ming dynasty his writings on drama are considered particularly
valuable contributions he was equally well known as a painter.
According to his own claim, among all the arts he mastered, his greatest talent was
in calligraphy. After that, he rated his poetry next and then his essays, and only finally
his painting. Yet painting was his greatest achievement from today's point of view.
Hsii Wei's painting {see fig. 12) followed closely that ofCh'en Shun (no. 52). He painted
only in monochrome ink. His calligraphy, too, shows an outward kinship to Chen
Shun's. But Hsii Wei's work has a nervous compulsion, showing a man without inner
control. The excessive energy he was unable to expend in his life, he was able to express
Hsii

also

as

in his art.

This calligraphy

is

a perfect

example of his work, showing

his

(no. 15) as

"powerful

as a

storm, and

the spirit of the writing of Hsii Wei.

as

frenzied"

would be

force. The
Chang Hsu

unchained

description of the "delirious cursive script" of the T'ang calligrapher

better suited to capture

'inr^

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57 (detail, end of scroll)

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58.

Running Script
Ming dynasty

Poem

Mo

Yiin-ch'ing

1582)

(d.

Folding fan, mounted

6"x

an album

ink

leaf,

on gold paper

191/16"

Collection John

This

as

poem by

the

artist

M. Crawford, Jr.,

may

New York

be translated:

Purple and white, they flaunt their freshness,

Blossoming

They

Prouder than the beauty

Their light

they were gods.

Golden Valley,

in season as if

the trees of the

fill

dew

floats in

in her jade

Their heavy fragrance weighs

Wu-ling

No

is

before our eyes

need to get

lost

chamber.

our Spring wine;

down

the dancing dust.

today

"searching for the way."

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

The

artist

signed

Shih-lung."

Mo

Two

it:

"Under

of the

the flowers,

artist's seals

Yiin-ch'ing was also

known

composed and written

for Te-ch'iian,

Mo

are impressed below.

as

Shih-lung, Ch'iu-shui,

Hou-ming, T'ing-han,

He was

of Hua-t'ing (Kiangsu

Pi-shan-weng, and by a few more pen names.

a native

Province). At one time, he studied under a government scholarship and earned the

rank oikung-sheng, but he was never again involved with the

poet,

and

him many
(no. 63),

official

world.

A painter,

superb connoisseur of painting, he had brilliant literary talents that won

friends. Among them were Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62) and Ch'en Chi-ju

who

both hailed him in their writings.

Painting"), attributed both to

Mo

An essay

Yiin-ch'ing and to

entitled

Tung

Hua

shuo ("Notes

on

Ch'i-ch'ang, has been a

At the Interon Chinese Painting held in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan
in the Summer of 1970, the topic was treated by both Nelson Wu of Washington
University, St. Louis, and Fu Shen of the research staff" of the National Palace Museum.
Earlier it was studied by Wai-kam Ho of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Their conclusion was that the essay is by Tung Ch'i-ch'ang.) Mo Yiin-ch'ing's calligraphy was
influenced by Mi Fu (no. 22) and Su Shih (1036-1101), who had the type of artistic
personality Mo and his friends Tung Ch'i-ch'ang and Ch'en Chi-ju emulated.

puzzle for centuries. (Recently

national Conference

it

has again

become

the topic of discussion.

^^

vl

^44^
?/
t^

in

58

59.

Running

Script

Ming dynasty

Poem
Hsing T'ung (1551-1612)
Folding fan, mounted

as

an album

leaf,

ink

on gold paper

6 X 19
Collection John

M. Crawford,

The poem, composed by

Two

the

artist,

Jr.,

New York

reads:

carp leap from the green waves of T'ao River

And bring a friendly letter from ten thousand miles away.

You must be sad, standing on a sand bank near the Jade Pass of Kao-lan,
Remembering Chin-ch'eng, as a barbarian flute plays in the Autumn wind.
Red crab apples are piled m plates before the
Lambs are cooked in stews after the hunt.

Our

wise sovereign

lets his

frost;

robe hang loose, and doesn't worry about the

west

He

has already sent his strategy to

Chao

Ying-p'ing.
Translation by Jonathan

Chaves

inscribed, "Poem on Lan-chou, sent to Inspector Ching, written by Hsing T'ung,"

and followed by one of the artist's seals.
Hsing T'ung, also known as Tzu-yiian, was a native of Lin-i (Shantung Province).
It is

became the Magistrate of Nan-kung (Hopei Province).

After serving in several other positions, he became Assistant President and Examiner
of the Imperial Equipment at Shensi. At that time he was more than thirty. Feeling
his aged parents needed his company, he retired from official life and returned to his
wealthy family estate in Shantung, where he collected art and books. His reputation
as a poet and calligrapher grew steadily. At his beautiful newly built studio on the Chi
River, he received visitors who came from all parts of the empire. He became the
leading figure of a literary circle. His calligraphy belongs to the tradition of Wang
Hsi-chih (nos. 9, iga-d). His name was often grouped with that of Tung Ch'i-ch'ang
(nos. 60-62) "In the south there is Tung, in the north Hsing." Along with Chang
Jui-t'u (nos. 64-66) and Mi Wan-chung (i 570-1628), these artists are regarded as the
Four Great Calligraphers of the late Ming dynasty.

At

the age of twenty-two, he

<^

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59

60. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty

Poem by Wang Wei (699-759)

Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (1555-1636)
Hanging scroll, ink on paper
75 "x 293/8"
Collection John M. Crawford,

The poem

We

New York

Jr.,

reads:

bid each other farewell in the mountain,

The sun was setting as I closed the bramble

The meadow is green every Spring
Is the young lord returning home?
.

It IS

signed, "Ch'i-ch'ang," with

Tung

gate.

two of the

following.

artist's seals

Ch'i-ch'ang used the names Hsiian-tsai, Hsiang-kuang, Ssu-pai, and others.

He

and "Hsiian-tsai" on his paintings. His

family was from Sung-chiang, near the present region of Shanghai. He was a brilliant
scholar, a promment official (Minister of the Board of Rites, and Grand Tutor), and
an outstanding painter and caUigrapher. Most of all, he had the keenest aesthetic sense
and was the most knowledgeable connoisseur of his time. His approach to art has
dominated Chinese artistic theory down to the present day. Tung Ch'i-ch'ang was
generally signed "Ch'i-ch'ang"

on

his writings

creative as well in literary composition. His books

known

to every Chinese art historian.

He was

and

counted

his sophisticated

as

mind

are well

one of the Four Great Callig-

Ming dynasty, along with Hsing T'ung (no. 59), Chang Jui-t'u
(nos. 64-66), and Mi Wan-chung (1570-1628).
Tung Ch'i-ch'ang owed his calligraphic style to Chao Meng-fu (nos. 30, 31) and
Wen Cheng-ming (nos. 48-51), although it is ultimately based on the Chin and T'ang
masters. Like these two artists, he was also conscientious and systematic in his approach
raphers of the late

to creativity, trying to "recapture antiquity" without being enslaved

himself to learning from the

classical

works, and he had no

false

by

it.

modesty.

He devoted
He gave the

following self-estimation:

My writing and that of Chao

Meng-fu

between

in the unity

I
I

lines

and characters,

are different.

As

to the spatial arrangement,

of a thousand words within one writing,

cannot compete with him. But of the grasp of the ancient

have seven-tenths. His writing

preserve

my

my own

instinct,

gracious simplicity.

is

spirit,

he has one-tenth,

overdone, to the point of vulgarity, while

My

writing often

which Chao Meng-fu

is

very

is

much

incidental,

and gives

in to

lacking. For there are rarely

writers able to express their personal instincts.

It is

true that

whenever Tung Ch'i-ch'ang copied the works of an old master,

raphy never resembled the master's.

He

tried to understand the

spirit,

his callig-

not repeat the

outward likeness of the works. The enlightenment of the artist should be "felt" in the
art work, but not exactly be in the product itself Above and beyond the pictorial elements, the artist's perception and conception are counted and evaluated. The evocative
context is often startling, the meaning profound. This he called "Ch'an art."
He wrote in many styles, at one time very precisely, at another time, casually. This
poem is of the latter type. Compared to his fellow artist, Chang Jui-t'u, he did not
display massive power. As he himself claimed, there is a "tremendous amount of grace."

6o

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t'^'

_..

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^^

^f
^j'

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^^'

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6i

61.

Running

Script

Ming dynasty

Home" by

Passage from "Returning

Tung

T'ao Ch'ien (365-427)

Ch'i-ch'ang (1555-1636)

Folding fan, mounted

as

an album

leaf,

ink

on gold paper

678 "x 1978"

Collection John

M. Crawford,

New York

Jr.,

of this fan consists of a passage from one of the most famous poems in Chinese
"Returning Home" by T'ao Ch'ien {see no. 32). As translated by Lily
Pao-hu Chang and Marjorie Sinclair {The Poems of T'ao Ch'ien, Honolulu, I953.

The

text

literature,

pp. 103-4), the verse reads:

When see my doorway

I am happy, and I run.
I

and house,

The

servants

And

small children wait by the gate.

welcome me.

Though the three paths are weedy,

The pines and chrysanthemums are
I

hold

my

The jar

is

child
full

and enter the room.

empty

my

it.

favorite branch in the garden

gaze with pride from

Recognizing that in
I

walk daily

Though

in the

there

is

my

a tiny bit

southern window.

of space there

is

peace.

garden and pass by the stream.

a gate,

it is

often closed.

Following the text are the words,

Ch'i-ch'ang."

there.

of wine;

Helping myself,
Fondly I look at

And

still

"Poem by T'ao Chmg-chieh

[T'ao Ch'ien],

Tung

t*^

\\^

1^

''

ntN
62

62.

Running

Script

Ming dynasty
Poem
Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (1555-1636)
Folding fan, mounted as an album

leaf,

ink

on gold paper

6iyi6"x20'/2"

The Art
This

Institute

poem was most

of Chicago,

likely

M. Nickerson

S.

composed by

the

artist.

Collection

His signature, "Ch'i-ch'ang," and

his seal follow.

Tung Ch'i-ch'ang's work as a whole

than monumental. This

is

a typical

is

delicate,

example of

more

frail

his style.

than archaic,

more

Once, speaking of

intimate
his

own

training, he recounted:

When

began studying calligraphy

Yen Chen-ch'ing
came to

[no. 16]

and

feel that the calligraphy

Wei

at

later

the age of seventeen,

first

took

as

my model

switched to Yii Shih-nan [no. iog]. Since

of the T'ang did not compare with that of the Chin

my writing

on the Huang ting ching

[no. iod] as well as the Hsiiaii shih piao [no. 8] and other works of Chung Yao.
For three years I said of myself that I was close to high antiquity and no longer
esteemed Wen Cheng-ming [nos. 48-51] and Chu Yiin-ming [nos. 45-47]. However, I did not really comprehend the spirit and principles of those earlier calligraphers, but merely followed established rules. While sojourning in Chia-hsing in
Chekiang Province, I was able to become fully acquainted with the original works
of these people stored in the family home of Hsiang Yiian-pien [i 525-1 590] and
realized how ignorant and conceited I had been. From then on I gradually made
some small achievement.
and

[dynasties],

subsequently patterned

63.

Running

Script

Ming dynasty

Poem
Ch'en Chi-ju (1558-1639)
Folding
71/4

"x

fan,

20%

The Art

mounted

as

an album

leaf,

ink

on gold paper

"

Institute

of Chicago,

S.

M. Nickerson

Collection

"A poem for Ts'ao Nien, who moved to a new home. Chi-ju
Mr. Huai-chuang." His seal is added below.
Ch'en Chi-ju had a great number of pen names, the most popular being Mei-kung.
HewasfromHua-t'ing (Kiangsu Province), the same region as Mo Yiin-ch'ing (no. 58).
He was one of the Seven Most Talented Men of Letters of the late Ming dynasty. At
the age of twenty-nine, he burned his garment of a Confucian scholar, and adopted
Taoist robes, callmg himself the "Man of the Hill." He wrote widely on many subjects
with elegant clarity. His keen connoisseurship in painting, calligraphy, and ink rubbings
was noted. He became a popular house guest of rich and prominent people. Tung
Ch'i-ch'ang valued his friendship, quoted his words frequently, and was influenced to
some degree by his theory of art. Together, they were the major exponents of the
"literary" school of painting during the sixteenth century. They proclaimed the division of the Northern and Southern schools in Chinese painting.
Ch'en Chi-ju's calligraphy is like that of Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62), refined
and graceful, in the cultivated and mellowed tradition of the Sung masters.

The poem

is

signed:

presents [this] to old

//
^V^-

64.

Running

Script

Ming dynasty

Poem
Chang Jui-t'u
Hanging
10' 101/2

(c.

"x 303/4"

Collection John

The poem

1569 after 1644)

on paper

ink

scroll,

M. Crawford, Jr.,

New York

reads:

At daybreak, one rarely hears the water clock as the announcement comes from the
High Palace Hall
His Majesty has a happy expression, the close attendant always notices it.
Following the signature, "Pai-hao-an, Jui-t'u," are two artist's seals, "Jui-t'u" and
"Shu-hua-ch'an." Above the first word is another of the artist's seals, "Pai-hao" (and

two illegible characters).

Chang Jui-t'u's other names
Pai-hao-an-tao-che.

are

On a painting

Ch'ang-kung, Erh-shui, Kuo-t'ing, Pai-hao-an, and

dated 1639, he gave his age

as

seventy; thus he must

have been born about 1569. In 1644, at the fall of the Ming dynasty, he was known to
have still been alive. Born in Ch'iian-chou (Fukien Province), Chang Jui-t'u at the age

of thirty-eight (1607) passed the final metropolitan examinations, and won the third
highest rank. During the following years, he had a very successful career at court. The
highest position he achieved

He

fell

Chung-hsien
others,

was

that

of the Grand Secretary of the Chien-chi Pavilion.

into disgrace through his association with the infamous

was

recently,

(i

568-1627). After

Wei Chung-hsien's

death,

Chang Jui-t'u,

exiled and stripped of his honors. His popularity

when Wang Chuang-wei of

found that the

Taipei wrote in

involvements of which the

eunuch

was not

Chang

Wei
among many
usurer,

re-established until

Jui-t'u's defense.

He

had been accused had not been

mentioned in the first edition of the Ming history, Saii-ch'ao yao-tien, and that the stele
with a long prose-poem m honor of Wei Chung-hsien, written by Chang Jui-t'u, had
been done at imperial command. He thus showed that the undefended calumny of
Chang Jui-t'u's name for the last three hundred years had been unjustified.
During his successful years, Chang Jui-t'u was considered one of the Four Great
CaUigraphers of the late Ming dynasty, together with Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62),
Mi Wan-chung (1570-1628), and Hsing T'ung (no. 59). He shows a powerful disposition in his calligraphy. This scroll must have been done during his time at court. He
preferred to use a worn brush without a sharp tip. His broad strokes move with weightiness and angularity, and carry substantial pressure to the end of each line. His style
developed from that of the stele engravings of the Northern Wei dynasty [see no. 11).
His cursive manner also follows closely the style of the Shti-p'ii by Sun Kuo-t'ing
(act. 648-703) and that of the Shih-clii t'ieh (no. 9) by Wang Hsi-chih. Here, in his
running style, he has all the solidity and boldness of Yen Chen-ch'ing (no. 16). He
loved to do large-scale writing, which adds to the monumentality of his personal style.
political

artist

^^t
^

^
8)
64

iL

64

(detail)

65. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
"The Ancient Capital, Ch'ang-an" [Ch\vig-an
Lu Chao-lin (act. 650-669)
Chang Jui-t'u (c. 1569 after 1644)

kti-i)

by

1634

on paper
Iiy8"xi5'3y4"
The Art Museum, Princeton University
Handscroll, ink

The

text, a

long

poem by Lu

Chao-lin, gives a critical description of the extra vangance

kti-i by Lu Chao-lin. Written in midof the T'ang court. It is

Autumn of the year 1634 at [the studio] Pai-hao-ching-she, by Kuo-t'mg-shan-jen,
Jui-t'u." Two of his seals are mipressed next to his name and another is over the first

signed, "Cliaiig-aii

word of the poem.

This example of Chang Jui-t'u's

cursive script,

from

his later years, represents further

now matured

wide range of his splendid style.

way. His lines move like water splashing and crashing through
the

bubbling brook.

His fluidity has

in

an individualized

crags, effusive as a

^'W

i
c'

X
it

/v

k
^
65

(detail,

end of scroll)

<3

Running

66.

Script

Ming dynasty
Couplet
1569 after 1644)
Pair of hanging scrolls, ink on paper

Chang
9' 21/2

Jui-t'u

"x 18"

(c.

(each)

Collection John

The

couplet

Jr.,

New York

be translated:

my

southern neighbors

will have

no other knocking

Beside
I

may

M. Crawford,

whom call to the wine,

at my bramble gate.
I

Translation hy Jonathan Chaves

Liang Chang-chii (1775-1849) said that Chang Jui-t'u always used the side tip for
and that the bigger his characters were, the more powerful they ap-

his brushstrokes,

was completely at ease using the side tip, as in this writing,

and he developed a personal manner quite unlike that of any of his contemporaries.
He was one of the few artists at this late date to be independent of the past. This is the
reason he is so admired today both in China and in Japan. Calligraphy is a mute testipeared. In his later years, he

mony

to his honor.

66

61 Cursive Script
.

Ming dynasty
Letter

by Yii Shih-nan (558-638)

Wang To

(1592-1652)

1637
Folding fan, mounted

an album

as

leaf,

ink on gold paper

6%"x2oy4"
Collection John

The

text consists

{see

10 g). In the

pieces

of

Wang

M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New York

of a brief letter by the great T'ang dynasty calligrapher, Yii Shih-nan

he refers to the famous "About Yo I" (10 a), one of the master-

letter,

Hsi-chih:

place, I saw your copy of the essay, "About Yo I," and felt that it was a
of
case
"blue surpassing indigo." I was extremely pleased, and have often thought
that I would like to emulate your work. But for some time now, I have had to
give up calligraphy, because my arm has been hurting me, and I have not been

At your

able to

work

seriously. Yii Shih-nan.

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

It is

inscribed, "In 1637, written

double

seal

of the

artist

by

Wang To

and sent to

his third

younger brother."

appears next to the signature.

Wang To was known also

as

by other names. He painted

known for his running and
calligraphy was as much in

Chiieh-szu, Tung-kao, and

bamboo, and orchids, but he was better

At the end of the Ming dynasty, his
demand as that of Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62). His admirers thought that Tung
Ch'i-ch'ang's writing was too feminine and attractive, whereas Wang To's was daring
ink landscapes,

cursive calligraphy.

and masculine. Calligraphy

the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries once again

Wang To was one

winding rattan or bending, aged
cypress that straggled m length. He set a routine working pattern for himself: one day
he would practice in the classical style (these writings were for himself only); the next
brought forth outstanding

of them.

He

artists

loved to do large

with

scrolls

distinctly individual styles.

with

lines like

day he would write for others, to give away and on commission. The copies

after the

old masters did not attempt to resemble their appearance, but to observe their

spirit.

He kept this habit to the end of his artistic life. He was a member of the
Academy at the Ming court. After the Manchu conquered China in 1644,

many

people's surprise, he accepted the rank of Minister at the Ch'ing court.

Imperial
to

^:^

67

6?>.

Running Script
Ming dynasty
Poem
Ni Yiian-lu (1593-1644)
Hanging

ink

scroll,

on paper

48 78 "X 121/4"

The University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor,

Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection

The

text consists

Out

of two

in the forest, the

lines

from

poem

that

is

most

monkeys join me sounding

Moonlight flooded the monk's bed

the

likely

by the

artist

himself:

wooden knock of the

priest,

like a colored pale lake.

One of his seals is impressed below.

names were Hung-pao, Yii-ju, and others. In his official career, he
attained the positions of Minister of Finance and Minister of Rites. He was a member
of the Imperial Academy. In the year 1644, when the Ming dynasty fell to the Ch'ing
and the last Ming Emperor committed suicide in Peking, Ni Yiian-lu hearing the news,
hung himself
He was admired for his courageous honesty, and stood upright against the powerful
and corrupt eunuch Wei Chung-hsien {see no. 64). He was noted as a poet and a calligrapher, and for his patriotism. All this seems to have overshadowed his work as a
painter. His ink paintings of flowers and birds (fig. 10) are as free as those of Ch'en
Shun and Hsii Wei (fig. 12), and particularly interesting are his strange rocks. His style
may easily be considered the forerunner of that of Tao-chi (nos. 83, 84) and the Eight
Strange Masters of Yangchow (eighteenth century).
Ni Yiian-lu was younger than Chang Jui-t"u (nos. 64-66), whom, so it appears, he
had known personally. His early works show a side-tip manner close to that of Chang
Jui-t'u, but in his later years, he changed to the use of round middle-tip brushstrokes.
In this writing he used a new brush and the side tip, indicating that it is an early work.
It also shows he was familiar with the stele style of the Northern dynasties. With all
the diverse influences, he was still able to maintain his refreshing independence and
It is

signed, "Yiian-lu."

Ni

Yiian-lu's

preserve his

own

personal distinction.

68

(detail, signature)

69.

Running Script
Ming dynasty

Poem
Ni Yiian-lu

(i 593-1644)

Folding fan, mounted

65/8 "X I 8 78"

The

by the

artist,

Jr.,

may

leaf,

ink

on gold paper

New York
be translated:

plains stretch far into the distance,

Utterly

Can
Can

likely

an album

M. Crawford,

Collection John

The poem, most

as

flat,

without

a single hill.

thousand cash buy the song of a bird?

wind roars?
Could Tu Fu, the brilliant poet, have run an onion shop?
Could Wang Jung, the elegant official, have been a bartender?
I

ten thousand horses neigh as loud as the

grow

But

old and

a tall

man

mad
is

for

no reason

not necessarily better than a dwarf

Translation hy Jonathan Chaves

It is

signed "Yiian-lu."

One of the

artist's seals

appears next to the signature.

tf

\\^

v>

-w
69

"%

70. Cursive Script

Ming dynasty
Album of Three Landscapes and Three Poems
P'u-ho (1593-1683)

Album
103/4

leaves, ink

"XI4V4"

on paper

(each)

Museum of Fine

Arts,

Boston

This album comprises three poems and three landscapes.

Kojiro Tomita and Hsien-Chi Tseng, Portfolio
to Cli'ing Periods)

Rough

translations appear in

of Cfuiiese Paintings in the

Mnseinn (Yilan

pis. 141-43). The original album had more

poems and pamtings do not correspond to each

(Boston, 1961, pp. 24-25,

than these works, and the remaining

other.

T'ung-ho, Tan-tang, and Yeh-hsien, was a native of Wulung-shan of Chin-ning (Yunnan Province). Before he entered the Buddhist priesthood,
his names were T'ang T'ai and Ta-lai. After 1644, saddened by the fall of the house of
P'u-ho, also

Mmg,

known

as

he became a monk. Very few of his works are preserved today because he

burned most of them when the Ch'ing came into power.

His painting is akin to that of the Chekiang School, rather close to the moist style
of Wang Wen (1497-1576, fig. 14), but his writing resembles that of Hsien-yii Shu

were already used by P'u-ho,

of whom they are so characteristic.

(nos. 32, 33). Blunt-tip brushstrokes

than

Chu Ta

(no. 82),

a generation earlier

70 (album

The

leaf)

calligraphy

on

this leaf reads:

painted mountain presents the fame of a real mountain;

a silent river (painted)

is

more

peaceful.

The fme mountain and the clear water are hard to come by,
but one learns of their essentials (through paintings).
(Translation
in the

from Kojiro Tomita and Hsien-Chi Tseng,

Museum

[Yiian to

Ch'ing Periods), Boston, 1961,

Portfolio of Chinese Paintings

p. 25, pi.

142a)

Cursive Script

71.

Ming dynasty

Poem
Attributed to Hsii Hung-chi (before 1595-1641)

Hanging

scroll,

ink on paper

87 X 34\4
Collection Professor and Mrs. Gustav Ecke, Honolulu
This

is

a five-word-line

poem, "Banquet

at

the T'ao Family Pavilion," by Li

Po

(699-762):

Down

the

Behmd
clear

Its

Woods

its

winding

lane, a secluded dwelling.

high gate, the

pool reflecting

home of a

great gentleman.

like a mirror.

blossoming with flowers that would make Kasyapa Buddha smile.

Green waters capturing the Spring day,

A blue pavilion holding the sunset glow.

On hearing the sweet sounds of strings and
Even

the

sumptuous gardens

at

reeds,

Chin-ku cannot boast such beauty.

Translation by Adele Rickett

"Duke of Wei Hsii(?)" {IVei-kuo-kung Hsii^\), and followed by a family

K'ai Kuo Kung" ("The Duke Who Founded the Ming Empire").
This writing had been attributed to Hsii Ta (1332-1385), one of the famous generals
who fought for the Hung-wu Emperor to establish the Ming dynasty. He is particularly
It is

signed,

seal,

"Ming

remembered

as the

one

who

first

entered Peking and drove the

His daughter became the Yung-lo Empress.

to be bestowed

on

He was

given the

Mongols out of China.

of Duke, which was

title

the family through successive generations.

It

continued

down

to

of the empire. There has been a question, however, as to the authorship of the
and its writer. Most scholars have doubts that a general fighting at the frontier,
such as Hsii Ta, would have been so literarily inclined and have had such fine handwriting. Moreover, the style somewhat recalls that of Chu Yiin-ming (nos. 45-47).
Thus it was argued that the signature after "Wei-kuo-kung" should not be read "Hsii,"
but should be interpreted as two separate words, "Hung-chi." Hung-chi, of the nmth
the

fall

scroll

generation in the line of Dukes, had earned a reputation as a calligrapher.

his title in 1595,

and died

in 1641.

This writing

is

likely to date

from

He

received

that period.

71

71. Regular Script

Ming dynasty
"Beckoning of Solitude" [Chao

yiii tit

yung)

Hsiang Sheng-mo (1597-1658)

1626
Handscroll, ink on paper
10V2 "x 25 " (poems and essay)

Los Angeles County

Twenty poems and an

essay

painting on the same scroll.

Museum of Art, Museum

Purchase

by Hsiang Sheng-mo are written after his long landscape

The writing is dated 1626. The essay gives the purpose of

work and Hsiang Sheng-mo's ideas of the

The title was written by Tung Ch'i-ch'ang

this

attraction

of a

solitary life in the arts.

(nos. 60-62): "Painting and poetry on

K'ung-chang [Hsiang Sheng-mo] painted this long handpoem, 'Beckoning of Solitude,' and thus completed these double graces.

the 'Beckoning of Solitude.'

scroll after his
[I

am] here

inscribing

it.

Tung

signature. Following Hsiang

Ch'i-ch'ang."

Two

ot Tung's seals appear

Sheng-mo's writing are

five

colophons by

below the

Tung

Ch'i-

ch'ang; Ch'en Chi-ju (no. 63); Li Jih-hua (1565-1635), dated 1627; Yii Yen, dated
1628; and Fei Nien-tz'u (1855-1905), dated 1889.

Chung-tien.

It is

Hsiang Sheng-mo was also

He was

other names as well.

(i

The

last line is

by the mounter, P'an

dated 1627.

known

as

K'ung-chang,

I-an, Hsii-shan-ch'iao,

and by

the grandson of the famous collector Hsiang Yiian-pien

525-1 590). His family estate in Shao-hsing (Chekiang Province) had been prosperous

in his grandfather's time, but had declined by the time it came into his possession. He
was not given to luxury, and he happily made his livelihood as an artist.
His art had at first been greatly influenced by Wen Cheng-ming (nos. 48-51). Later
he exploited the technique of the Sung dynasty, and utilized the facility of the Yiian
artists. His flower subjects, pine, bamboo, and rocks, are his more outstanding themes.
Tung Ch'i-ch'ang, who was then a much older person enjoying great prestige, had
known Hsiang Sheng-mo's grandfather Hsiang Yiian-pien as a young man, and had
been the tutor of Sheng-mo's father. He praised Sheng-mo as a worthy and cultivated
grandson, thejoyful result of his grandfather's lifelong devotion to art, and flirthermore

appreciated

him

as

an

artist.

This regular script by Hsiang Sheng-mo obviously derives from the domination of

Chin and T'ang styles [see no. 10 a, c-h), a

Wen Cheng-ming, who provided Hsiang's main
the

much more serious creations

had been extended by

These twenty poems and

tradition that
inspiration.

works. They are a proclamaof his philosophy of life. He preferred to live with the arts, isolated from the
world. At the time of this work he was thirty years old. He gives an account of how he
spent each day at sunset, lighting his lamp. For meals he had only cakes made of pine
blossoms, pure tea, and no wine (which would agitate him). Only the burning of
incense and the grinding of ink were delegated to a young maid. Whenever he felt
the painting are

than

his usual

tion

tired,

he would stop until the next day. Meanwhile there were flowers blooming

window and

moon

shining over his head. Although he

at his

was occasionally sick,

he never was lax, and dedicated himself ritualistically to his work.
From the planning stage to completion, he spent nine years on this painting and these
poems. At the conclusion he says:
a clear

v^^

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better to live solitarily with poetry

still

fore

compose

this

poetry in one

scroll,

it is

is

is

below.

that follow his

Sheng-mo painted and

He

work.

is

^<

;:s^

.^^.-^oyTu-i^i-

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i-^l

seal

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-^

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j^x,t-.l-?*r

poetry and

them again. Theresympathy from those who

'-^/^

4L.tr-^

applauded

^-#

and painting.

inscribed here."

did indeed find sympathy, as he

"^

'?

dated 1626, and signed, "Lien-t'ang chii-shih ['The Scholar

Pond'], Hsiang

yin"

U]$^^

>'^^-#f-

understand me.
It

if

-^

difficult to collect

hoping to find

t]

ft ^

:^

There were people who had chosen the sohtary life before me. They are beckoning
me to join them. Should it be said that I am the one who is beckoning, it may also
be the case. And it may be that I am beckoning myself I could have lived in
solitude in the city, but that is not as good as living in solitude in the hills. But it
paintings are scattered everywhere, and

(^

i:l

end of inscription)

would be

^ -^

^44 5C^>^ f
ff ^L.
4 f f^ ^ 4^4"^ ^ t ^

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#il ^^f t^ ft
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il

72

^f:

Lives at Lotus

"Hsiang K'ung-chang
in the five

colophons

Running Script

12>.

Ming dynasty

Poem
Ch'en Hung-shou (1599-1652)
Hanging scroll, ink on paper
45 V4"x 125/8"

The Art Museum, Princeton

The

of this poem

text

How

University

reads:

love to wander in the

hills

Drinking wine along the way.

But of the moment, fleeting, what regret

Such happiness can never be repeated.
Translation by Adclc Rickctt
It is

inscribed,

Two

of the

"Hung-shou

artist's seals

presents this to the son

of [my] sworn-brother, Yin-jen."

are impressed below.

Ch'en Hung-shou was also known by the names, Lao-lien, Lao-ch'ih, Chang-hou,
others. One of the finest figure painters in the archaic manner at the time of the
changing of the dynasty, he had hoped to enter the civil service to help the needy
nation but was unable to break into the deteriorating bureaucratic system. Without
the slightest compromise with his art, he was a fairly successful professional artist.
When the Ming dynasty fell in 1644, he was deeply shocked by the change, and afterward called himself Hui-ch'ih ("Belated Repentant") or Lao-ch'ih ("Old Procrastiand

nator").

He

He was

then even

more given

to drinking,

and

fell

died after a few years of this self-destructiveness. This

and the

fall

is

into a state of desperation.

a

poem

written after 1644

of Ming.

was rated above his ability at poetry and calligraphy, but his
personal manner in writing was unique. Generally, he wrote with a thin and longtufted brush, a type used for the fine-line drawing typical of his painting style. When
he wrote poetry or comments on his paintings, it was only natural that he used the
same brush for the characters, hidependent writings of his in large size are rarely seen.
This running script is representative of his style. It is as linear as his painting. In the
wirelike lines are both moisture and dryness, thick and thin tonalities. Thus he sensiHis

skill as a

painter

tively created a pictorial space over the flat surface.

His dedication to art was

represent his

first

much more

passionate than that of other

but was the very essence of

He was

it.

All of his earnestness

artists. It

did not

was concentrated

thorough individualist of the seventeenth century,

of many more such artists to emerge during this period.

in his brush

the

life

and paper.

73

74.

Running Script
Ming dynasty
"In

Answer

to

My

Friend P'ang" and "Returning Birds" by

T'ao Ch'ien (345-427)

Ch'en Yiian-su (i6th-i7th century)
Handscroll, ink on gold-flecked colored papers

ioy8"x28'4"
Center of Asian Art and Culture, The Avery Brundage Collection,

San Francisco

two poems may be found in The Poems of T'ao Ch'ien by Marjorie

and Lily Pao-hu Chang (Honolulu, 1953, pp. 16-17, 23). No date is attached
writing. The artist signed the scroll: "T'aos poems. Written by Ch'en Yuan-su."

Translations of the
Sinclair

to the

Two

of his seals, "Ch'en Yiian-su" and "Ku-pai," are beside his signature.
Ch'en Yiian-su, a native of
Hsien (Kiangsu Province), was also known by the
names Chin-kang, Ku-pai, and Su-weng. He was unsuccessful at the civil examination,
but perfectly accepted the fate of his life, never becoming embittered. He went through
life cheerfully as a modest artist. His painting and his calligraphy won him many
intellectual friends, and his works were treasured by them. His ink paintings of orchids
were particularly appreciated, and he was considered the best artist to paint orchids
after Wen Cheng-ming.
His calligraphy was derived from the school of Wang Hsi-chih (nos. 9, ioa-d),
combined with the grace of Wen Cheng-ming (nos. 48-51) and T'ang Yin (14701523). He was a man with tact and exquisite taste, a cultivated artist with great sensibility. This was written with comfort and ease; it began like wind through a meadow.
As he proceeded on this lengthy handscroll, his arm became loosened, his brush temper
mounted. The lines turn larger and move faster, as if going from a trot to a gallop.
This was written at one sitting.

Wu

74

(detail)

74

(detail,

end of scroll)

75.

Running Script
Ming dynasty

Poem
Ch'en Yiian-su

(i

6th- 17th century)

Folding fan, mounted

as

an album

leaf,

ink

on gold paper

678 "x 20 78"

Collection John

The poem may be

The

M. Crawford, Jr.,

New

York

translated:

traveler lives outside the city wall.

His house surrounded by peaks on every

side.

Blue-green mountains push toward the isolated

city;

The sky touches a lake filled with lotus blossoms.

I want someone to write "common bird" on my gate
Hsi K'ang (the master of the lute) not
I

have seen the sleeping dragon

Now, two
They

at

[As did Lii

An on

finding

home];

in the clouds.

dragons embrace the sun and dance

are pine trees, planted here

by the owner of the house.

Translation by Jonathan Chaves

It is

signed "Ch'en Yuan-su" with a double seal impressed next to the signature.

\!'\ll,!

75

lb.

Running

Script

Ming dynasty

Poem
Shih K'o-fa (1602-1645)

Hanging

scroll,

ink

on paper

65y4"x30"
Philadelphia

Museum of Art, Given by

The poem, composed by

Long

has

my

the

artist,

the Friends of the

Museum

begins as follows:

brush been ready to serve the glory of the

Ming

Directly picking those of talent and abUity to supplement the

good men of the

military guards.
In sacrificial affairs

have always paid attention to the ceremonies of the Chou.

In the writing of eulogistic

monuments

have invariably used the

literary style

of

the Han.
As the clouds descend the crack of whips sounds far off" in the distant field.
Under the full moon the water clock in the tall tower drips away the long night.
Even in my tent I ceaselessly toil with affairs of state.
How I would like to hear someone write a prose-poem in imitation of Yang

Hsiung's

CK ang-yang

Fii.

Translation by IV. Allyn Rickett

It is

signed, "Written

Shih K'o-fa, also

the

Ming

by K'o-fa"; two ot his seals are beside his signature.

as Hsien-chih and Tao-lin, was a famous loyalist general of

known

dynasty. After passing his academic graduation, he occupied

posts. Finally, in 1643,

When

the

he was appointed President of the Board of

Ming empire

fell in

1644 and the Emperor committed

many important

War

at

Nanking.

suicide in

Peking,

hope of restoring the lost

expanding
invasion of China. In 1645, at Yangchow, Shih K'o-fa was caught by the Ch'ing army.
He repeatedly rejected the offers from the Ch'ing court, and finally, at his own demand,
was executed. Descriptions of his heroic behavior are recorded in many books. He was
highly honored posthumously by both the Ming Pretender and the Ch'ien-lung Emhe and other

loyalists installed a prince in the south, in the

regime. However,

all his

efforts

and

his

courage were

in vain against the

peror of the Ch'ing.

With his dramatic background as a hero of the Ming dynasty, his gift as a caUigrapher
comes as a surprise. From the words of his poem, this scroll may have been written
by the Ch'ing army. Although he claimed that he was lacking
of true art, both poem and calligraphy present him as a man of great
capacity for art and letters. Comparatively few examples of his work survive. His
biographers seem to have been completely overwhelmed by his heroic behavior and
never to have taken notice of his talent in art. His calligraphy shows the best influence
shortly before his arrest
in the practice

of such early Ming masters

48-51), and Hsii

Wei

as

(no. 57).

Chu Yiin-ming (nos. 45-47), Wen Cheng-ming (nos.

He was a calligrapher of distinguished accomplishment.

76

[see also detail, frontispiece)

11 Cursive Script
.

Ming dynasty

Poem
Fu Shan (1607-1684)
Hanging scroll, ink on

satin

9'3%"xi8y4"
The Art Museum, Princeton University

The poem

reads:

The Red Pavilion

[of the Imperial Household] with safety lock [now]

His Majesty talks aloud, no gate

is

is

wide open.

shut.

After a hundred officers of the government offered their obeisance.

As
It is

dragon wiping out

signed,

gave

Chu-i-tao-jen, which means

an

attire

he wore for the

He had

seals

is

impressed below.

known as Ch'ing-chu, Shih-tao-jen, Se-lu, and by other names.

when the Ming empire fell, he claimed that in a dream the Supreme
him a Taoist cap, thus turning him into a priest. He named himself

also

In the year 1644,

God

he dominates the great earth.

"Written by Shan"; one of his

Fu Shan was
Taoist

tigers,

"The Taoist

rest

a reputation as a

of his

Priest

fme calligrapher

fessional artist, but taught the

Who

Wears

the Vermilion Garment,"

life.

Chinese

in his

own time. He never became a prohome region in Shensi to as many

classics in his

hundred students at one time. He was admired by friends for his scholarship
and art history. Beside that, he practiced the arts of an herb doctor.
When the newly established Ch'ing court learned of his reputation, they offered him
official posts, which he emphatically refused.
He painted bamboo subjects, old trees, and landscapes. His painting, like his dashing
cursive script, is daring and extremely individual. His seal engraving and calligraphy,
as

three

in classical studies

especially his "delirious" cursive script, are the best

However, according

to his friends, he

was

known among

at his best in the official

his creative arts.

and regular

styles.

Such writings of his are very rare today.

The content of this poem poses one question; whether it was meant to be merely
a playful composition, or if it implied a criticism of the new regime. Fu Shan always
had been inclined to sarcasm, and openly expressed his political resentments. His
calligraphy turns abruptly, jerking sharply as though insinuating with taunting twists.

77

(detail)

77

72).

Running

Script

Ming dynasty
"Discourse on Painting" {Hua-shuo)
Fajo-chen (1613-1696)

1667
Handscroll, ink on paper

I2y4"xi2'2"
Collection John

The "Discourse on
Fa Jo-chen.

M. Crawford, Jr., New York

Painting," dated 1667, does not appear in the collected

work about

It is a satirical

the

artist's

ada, in Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in the Collection ofJohn

York, 1962,

The

p. 153), has

scholar-painter

Such

summarized the
a

is

man who

is

works of

standing in the world. Shijiro Shiin-

M.

Crawford, Jr.

(New

ideas presented in the "Discourse":

awkward

in the

world of

practical affairs.

man, conscious of his want of ability, addresses himself to the study of the

classics. If he fails

to attain distinction in this field, he should then turn to painting;

he may then retire and apply himself to the craft of an artisanmention of an artisan's craft he ironically suggests that it is not
technique but the spirit and conception of the artist which is essential in the art of
painting. The point of his statement is that the scholar-painter stands aloof from the
if still unsuccessful,

painter.

With

his

honors and profits of the world.

The

scroll

of the

is

signed, "Painted for Master Ming-shih, Huang-shan, Fa Jo-chen."

artist's seals

Two

are impressed next to the signature; another appears at the beginning

of the writing.
Fa Jo-chen, who was known as Han-ju and Huang-shan (I-shih), and by other
names, was born in Shantung Province, but spent the later part of his life in Huang-shan
(Anhwei Province), a beautiful mountain region well known to artists. Fa Jo-chen was

Governor of that province, and painted also, in the amateur scholarly tradition.
Although he had been little known as an artist, some years ago his art was "redis-

the

covered." His landscape paintings are rather massive in conception, in a style quite his

own. They show him

calligraphy,

he

is

as

an

artist

with an unconventional

however, does not appear to match the weird

fluent in

mind and

in the

movement of his

brush.

taste for the fantastic.

spirit

of

his painting,

His

but

<i?

^:.

cth

r^
fl

78

(detail,

beginning of scroll)

>a

^
^

^"^

t
I

1!-^

"^

5^
1-r-

>y *
^^

^^

V\'l 1

"^

^'"^

-k

^^

* *
iivl

.i\

^- ^^

'^

^:

*'

^^^1

T ^

"^^

^^

<A

''

-^

^'

J ^ ^^

-4

.J'

:^

^^

^ ^

79

79.

Regular Script
Ch'ing dynasty

Two Poems
Liang Ch'ing-piao (1620-1691)
Folding fan, mounted as an album

9% "x

leaf,

ink on gold paper

211/4"

Collection Laurence Sickman, Courtesy Nelson GaUery-Atkins

Museum,

Kansas City

These two tzu poems by the

this little studio,

artist

are inscribed: "Gentle breeze brush the heat

Chou-chin-t'ang.

Liang Ch'ing-piao.

"

poems.
Liang Ch'ing-piao,

Two

of the

a native

To my

elder colleague

artist's seals

follow his

in

Mu-chung. Yun-chung,

name and one

precedes the

of Cheng-ting (Hopei Province), was the most highly

regarded collector and connoisseur of art in the seventeenth century. His

names

away

seals

bearing

and Yeh-ch'iyii-yin. Because of his discerning judgment, paintings and calligraphy known to have
belonged to him are credited with great importance. This is a rare example of Liang
his

are T'ang-ts'un, Yii-li, Ts'ang-yen-tzu, Chiao-lin chii-shih,

Ch'ing-piao's writing, revealing the influence of Su Shih (1036-1101).

Running

80.

Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Album of Calligraphy and Landscape Paintings

Kung Hsien (i620?-i689)
Album leaves, ink on paper
61/4 "xyVs" (each)
The Art Museum, Princeton University
The

writing on the twelve leaves

may

be translated:
I

am

Seal:

so afraid

of producing

"Kung Hsien

a painting that

is

too competent.

chih-yin."
2

am good

at painting

My

learned from Li Liu-fang

[i

575-1629],

my new

and then developed

sparsely.

willows, which

manner

is

manner. Ch'ang-heng [Liu-fang] painted willows

often too full. I am still trying hard to match the willows

of Ch'ang-heng.
Seal:

"Hsien."
3

Cheng Ch'ien [eighth century] of the T'ang dynasty did a painting

Trees." His round,
able to capture

it.

full

brush

is

so rich that not

one

How can a painter of a later age be

artist

named "Ancient

of the tenth century was

able to pursue

it? I

am

trying.

Seal: "Pan-ch'ien."

4
Calligraphy in the time of

Mi Fu

time of

Mi Fu

[no. 22] stressed the horizontal. Painting in the

even more. It was explored to its limits;

Ni [Tsan, 1301-1374] and Huang [Kung-wang, 1269-1354]
It was necessary to have this change.

stressed the horizontal

therefore artists like

created
Seal:

new

styles.

"Kung Hsien

yin."
5

A monk
"How

asked:

was the landscape of the

great earth created?"

The answer was:

"How

was the landscape of the

painter

who

understands

great earth created?"

this will

never be lacking in landscape composition.

Seal: "Ch'i-hsien."

Modern
popular
Seal:

artists

taste.

"Kung

change according to the popular fashion.

Note

alone refuse to follow

this for a laugh.

Hsien."

Landscape painting flourished

the Southern Sung and Yiian.

Northern Sung and continued throughout

Even Ni Tsan's landscape has a substantial aspect

in the

that his imitators never understood. Since they never

how

can they follow

Seal: "Pan-ch'ien."

his style?

saw an original Ni Tsan,

Less

more, which

is

train,

which

"Kung

Seal:

is

the

is

the advanced stage of a painter.

most

difficult style

Hence

the five-word qua-

of all poetry.

Pan-ch'ien."

To
at

be clever

is

not

as

good

as

being simple.

Too

skillful interpretations

can be seen

one glance. Simplicity embodies untold mystery.

Seal:

"Pan-shan-yeh-jen."
10

Nowadays,

knows nothing about brush and ink, yet he talks

The resonant spirit does not depend on the amount of

a landscape painter

about the "resonant

spirit."

ink wash. Ink wash in gradations remains in a playful range.

Seal:

"Ch'en Hsien."
II

To

paint does not necessarily

Tung

mean

Ch'i-ch'ang [nos. 60-62]

is

to follow the ancients.

outstanding. His

work

is

Among modern
a lofty

model

artists,

to follow.

This painting of mine resembles that of Yang Lung-yu [Wen-ts'ung, 1597-1645].

In earlier years
Seal:

we

both followed

Tung

Ch'i-ch'ang.

"Chung-shan-yeh-lao."
12

When reducing brushwork in painting, one must avoid the manner of the Northern
school [Ma Yiian, twelfth-thirteenth century; Hsia Kuei, thirteenth century]. A
collector

who owns

collection. This
Seal:

paintings of the Northern school would downgrade his total

region there is no Northern school.
must be noted. In the

Wu

"Yeh-i."

Kung Hsien had many pen names, the best known being Pan-ch'ien, Ch'ai-chang,
Yeh-i, and Ch'i-hsien. He was a native of K'un-shan (Kiangsu Province), but lived in
Nanking. Kung Hsien was a well-known poet and the leading artist in Nanking. Seven
other painters followed in his style of landscape painting, and together they became

known as the Eight Masters of Nanking (Chin-ling pa-chia).

Kung Hsien has been labeled as one of the eccentric "individualists." A

strong-willed

person, he lived in poverty and kept to a small circle of friends, most of

Ming

loyalists in a society called Fu-she ("Restoration Society").

whom

Among

were

his close

were K'un-ts'an (seventeenth-eighteenth century), Hung-jen (d. 1663),

Yang Wen-ts'ung, Li Liu-fang, and Chou Liang-kung (1612-1672). He was a dedicated
painter [see fig. 15), eager to find his own personal style of expression outside of the
classical tradition. He emphasized a return to learning directly from nature. His landscape sketches show a strong contrast of light and shadow, creating forms with sculpartist-friends

tural dimension.

Kung Hsien

never considered

his

own

calligraphy to be an important part of his

work. Like Ch'en Hung-shou (no. 73), his painting overshadowed his art of
writing, although his writing does have a personal style. He used the same painting
brush as Tao-chi (nos. 83, 84) and readily combined dry and wet brushstrokes with
their varying ink tonalities, and thick and thin lines. His rhythm parallels that of his
creative

ink paintings. His landscapes have the majesty and gravity of tenth-century paintings,

while

his

writing reveals a rather fluid grace.

I
80 (eleventh leaf)

81.

Running

Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Poem
Ta Ch'ung-kuang (1623-1692)
1655
Handscroll,

mounted on board, ink on paper

I0'/2"x23y2"
Collection Colonel and Mrs.

This

poem was

at the

Edward W. Rosenbaum, Rydal, Pennsylvania

Autumn of 1655, to the Abbot during the artist's visit

Mount Chiu-hua. There is no signature, but one of the artist's seals,

written in the

temple of

"Sung-tzu-ko," precedes the writing

studio name.

At the end of the poem

at

are

top right. At bottom right

two more

artist's seals,

is

a collector's

"Ta Ch'ung-kuang

yin" and "Yii-kang chii-shih."

Ta Ch'ung-kuang had many pen names; among

those he frequently used are Chiang-

shang wai-shih, and Yii-kang, Yii-kang chu-shih, or Yii-kang sao-yeh tao-jen. Originally

from Tan-t'u (Kiangsu Province), he passed the national

civil

examination in

1652, and eventually reached the position of Censor to the court.

A great friend of the artists Wang Shih-ku (better known as Wang Hui, 1632-1717)
and Yiin Nan-t'ien (better known as Yiin Shou-p'ing, 163 3-1690), he was also a wellknown landscape painter himself His calligraphy chiefly derived from the writing of
Mi Fu (no. 22) and Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos. 60-62), in a style replete with grace and
fluency. He won particular admiration from Wang Wen-chih (no. 92). His two books,
one on painting and one on calligraphy, show him
distinguished taste. His
fine

example of his

art.

work

is

now

to

have been an

rarely seen. This writing,

intellect

with

though damaged,

is

if
to

x
*

m
^

uSiJ

1&

i^

'*^'

'^
y-4

Jy

A-

'^

'

A:

i^.^
c/

it^-

mm

It
81

^^

*t
'-

i^

Running

82.

Script

Ch'ing dynasty
Essay

Chu Ta

(c.

Folding

fan,

1625-C. 1705)

mounted

as

an album

leaf,

ink

on paper

6%"xi9'/2"
Collection John

The

text

You

is

M. Crawford,

Jr.,

New York

a short essay:

are rich in artistic talent, full

of compassion, and an outstanding teacher.

long ago received the teaching of "hurrying across the courtyard" [when

You

Li,

the

son of Confucius, learned three things from his father about the Book of Songs,
about the rituals, and that a gentleman keeps his son at a distance], and devoted

pond" [The caUigrapher Chang Chih was

Its waters would
turn black from his ink]. A few days ago, knowing that you are now particularly
fond of "flying white" writing, I playfully manipulated brush and ink, and did
some calligraphy for you which departed shamefully from the elegant forms of the
Six Calligraphic Modes, and differed from the beautiful diction of the Five Rela-

work of "leanmg over

yourself to the
said to

have practiced calligraphy while leaning over a pond.

Han shti to be characteristic of the Book of Songs]. I soon received

from you in which you praised my work excessively. Because my poor
writing is unworthy of such acclaim, successive readings of your letter have only
tions [said in the
a letter

served to increase

my

embarrassment.
Translation by Jonathan Chaves

It is

inscribed to

Wen Yii-nien,

and signed "Pa-ta-shan-jen" with

a seal "Shih-te."

Chu Ta, whose official name was Chu Yu-jui, was called by many other names, the
best known being Pa-ta-shan-jen ("Old Man of the Eight Mountains"). He was a
direct descendant

tions his family

the

of Emperor

had lived

Ming dynasty

in

collapsed,

T'ai-tsu, the

founder of the Ming dynasty. For genera-

Nan-ch'ang (Kiangsu Province).

and

his father

was

killed.

When

he was nineteen,

These circumstances forced him

withdraw from the world, and he entered a Buddhist monastic order. Some years
later, his mother urged a marriage on him. By that time he had become a Taoist priest.
Refusing to compromise with the new regime, he pretended to be dumb, gave up
speech, and conversed only in sign language or by writing. Although at times he appeared truly deranged, his loyalty to the Ming court remained clear and constant.
Chu Ta's painting and poetry are full of his unyielding resistance. His reputation as
an accomplished artist actually began late. According to Li Tan, he began to sign the
name Pa-ta-shan-jen on his work only about 1680-90, after he was fifty-five. By this
time he was a widely recognized, popular, and respected artist; his reputation continued
without wavering after his death, and he is a favorite of twentieth-century artists.
His works are original and have a power rarely matched by other artists, but his
calligraphy, overshadowed by his painting, has hardly been discussed. Quite a few imto

pressive examples of his calligraphy survive,

sionally in a wild cursive script.

He

done mostly

preferred to use a

in

running

worn brush

script,

but occa-

for both painting

and calligraphy. Using a very blunt tip, he achieved a completely personal calligraphic
style. His even strokes are frank and plain, having no resilient twists, and are simple
and honest, less varied than in his painting.
Throughout his career, there was little change in his style. He was accustomed to
in two curved strokes, but after the
writing the first character of his signature, pa
age of seventy, he is said to have written it with two straight dots as is seen on this fan.

-^

'*>.

:%

*<^ ^

'V

^^

^
/^v

/^

#
82

'S'

83.

Running

Script

Ch'ing dynasty
Letter to Pa-ta-shan-jen

Tao-chi (1641-c. 1720)

Album leaves, ink on paper

7%"x5'/8" (each)
The Art Museum, Princeton

University, Arthur

M.

Sackler Collection

For a translation of the text, see Fong Wen, "A Letter from Shih-t'ao to Pa-ta-shan-jen
and the Problem of Shih-t'ao's Chronology," Archives of the Chinese Art Society of
America, xiii (1959), p. 25; and The Painting of Tao-chi (catalogue of an exhibition at
the Museum of Art, University of Michigan), Ann Arbor, 1967, pp. 79-80. The letter
is signed, "Chi, tiin-shoii [greetings]," and a seal of the artist is impressed between the
characters. There are fifteen collectors' seals.
Fong Wen, in several articles, has offered meticulous examinations of the text of this
letter, in which Tao-chi wrote a message to his admirer Pa-ta-shan-jen (Chu Ta,
no. 82). Fong Wen considers it a beautiful and authentic piece of calligraphy, and an
important work of art.
Tao-chi's official name was Chu Jo-chi; his priest and pen names were Shih-t'ao,
K'u-kua-ho-shang, Ch'ing-hsiang-lao-jen, Ta-ti-tzu, as well as a number of others. He
was of noble descent as a member of the Chu family, which had been settled in Kuei-lin
(Kwangsi Province) for generations. At the fall of the Ming dynasty, his father was
defeated in Kuei-lin, retreated to Foochow (Fukien Province), and was killed in 1646.
It is said that at the age of eleven, Tao-chi became a Buddhist monk. He spent the
remaining long years painting and writing. His poetry and his remarks inscribed on
paintings are extremely provocative, and his book, Hiia yil hi, is the most enlightening
treatise

concerning painting.

Like his cousin Pa-ta-shan-jen, he was brought up in troubled times, but the drastic
political

change seems to have been of advantage to him

intensified,

was transmitted

into the great vitality

of

an

as

his art.

He

artist.

His emotion,

traveled extensively,

and developed a particular independence within his art and his aesthetic theories, with
no hint of imperial patronage. He was another giant of this transitional period. He used
to be paired with another monk-artist, Shih-ch'i (K'un-ts'an, seventeenth-eighteenth
century), as one of the "Two Shih." He is now regarded as one of the most outstanding
"individualists"

of the seventeenth century.

Tao-chi was not actually

a conscientious calligrapher, that

cipline himself in the fashion

He drew
18, 20). He

of Wen Cheng-ming

from the

(nos.

is

to say, he did not dis-

48-51) or

Tung

Ch'i-ch'ang

and the sutra

(nos. 60-62).

his inspiration

style (nos.

used the same brush for painting and writing, and sometimes

official script (nos. 7, 14)

the ink tonality varies from dark black to pale grey.

ested in the art of calligraphy for

writing. This letter appears to be

ease.

As

a result

it

its

own

He

sake than in

more dashing than

seems to have been

usual, the strokes flow

has the flare of Su Shih (1036-1101).

less inter-

the content of what he was

with great

*:T*
f/a4'4

x^'s.n

p
^

mm
^

-.

1^ ?
lii

ii
18

llSf
i

S-

Bill
83 (last four leaves

of six)

1'^

84.

Running

Script

Ch'ing dynasty

"On

Wan-li Porcelain-Handled Brush" (Wan-li

tz'ii-kuan)

Tao-chi (1641-c. 1720)

1705

Hanging

scroll,

ink

on paper

43"xi5%"
The

University of Michigan

Museum

of Art,

Ann

Arbor,

Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection

This

As

poem

inspired

is

by

porcelain-handled brush of the Wan-li period (1573-1620).

The Painting
Art, University of Michigan,
translated in

Tao-chi (catalogue of an exhibition at the

of

Ann

Arbor, 1967,

p. 91),

the

poem and

Museum of

inscription read:

This porcelain brush-handle chases the heat,

year beginning from Wan-li;

Its

How

touched an old firm love.

Half an arm reaches for P'eng-lai's immortality;
often has

it

Turned back then

to

dreams of rivers and mountains,

longing for old earth and dust;

Truly

am

Only

the

moved beyond

speech.

odd word, here and

there.

1705, the beginning of summer,

Master Chiieh-kung.

in gratitude to

He

gave

me

Examining
have
this

Four

it

Shen-tsung's old brush.

it,

could not bear to

leave niy hands.

have written

from deepest thanks.

seals

of the

artist

appear over the writing.

The hanging scroll is a rare format for Tao-chi, but the calligraphy is typically his.
The characters stress horizontality; it has the rhythm of the official script shown on
Han wooden tablets (no. 6).

85. Seal Script

Ch'ing dynasty

"Long

Life" (Shou)

Wang

Shih-shen (1686-1749)

1735

Hanging

scroll,

mounted on board,

ink

on paper (retouched

in red

and black)

79"x33y4"

Thomas

Collection Mr. and Mrs.

The

("Long

large character, Shou

the right read, "This inscription

it is

F. Litaker,

Life"), in seal script

is

Honolulu
is

in the center.

dated, "early Spring, 1735, "and signed "Mang-tso-lao-jen."

Wang

Shih-shen was also

Mang-tso-sheng
ferred to live in

(lao-jen).

Yangchow

of Yangchow, noted

known

Although

as

characters to

On

There

is

no

the

left,

artist's seal.

Chin-jen, Ch'ao-lin, Ch'i-tung-wai-shih, and

native of Hsiu-ning

as a freelance artist.

(Anhwei Province), he pre-

He was one of the Eight

for his poetry, his painting

of flower

engraving. After the interest in seal art was revived by

Wen

The

from a bronze vessel" {Yo-szu-ui-yu).

subjects,

Strange Masters

and

Chao Meng-fu

for his seal

(nos. 30, 31),

Wen

P'eng (no. 43 b) continued the study

of this art. By the eighteenth century, there was much enthusiasm for the art of seal
engraving, particularly among the Eight Strange Masters of Yangchow. This interest
chiefly grew out of the study of ink rubbings obtained from bronze and stone inscrip-

Cheng-ming

tions. Artists

drew

(nos.

48-51) and his son

inspiration not only

bronze inscriptions. Seal

art

is

from

stele

engravings, but also from ancient

branch of calligraphy, miniature

in character.

Within

the small framework, the contrast of lines and voids must be carefully planned. It demands a sense for design, thus complementing the arts of painting and calligraphy.

86. Official Script

Ch'ing dynasty
Passage from Chou-li

Chin Nung (1687-1764)

1720

Hanging scroll, ink on paper

47 78 "x 1674"
Collection John

M. Crawford,

This writing of a passage from Chou-li

system of the

Chou

dynasty)

is

Jr.,
(a

New York
description of rituals and the administrative

dated 1720 and inscribed: "Written in the temple north

of Kuang-ling, for Brother Li-hsien, Chin

of the

city

of the

artist

Nung of Hangchow." Two

seals

follow the inscription.

Chin Nung had

a great

number of pen names;

the ones he most frequently used

were

Tung-hsin, Shou-men, and Pai-erh-yen-t'ien fu-weng ("The 102 Ink-Stones Rich

Man"). He was an outstanding seal engraver, and was also known as a poet and calligrapher. After the age of fifty he took up the art of painting, at once grasping its essence,
and developed a highly individual style lofty, archaic, and excellent. He was devoted
to the study of ink rubbings and had several thousand of them in his collection.
Chin Nung traveled widely in his middle age, and was never tied to work in an
office. After the death of his wife, he chose Yangchow as his home. He lived in a temple
there, and was a sincere believer in Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism although he never became
a priest. He made a modest but sufficient living from his professional career as an artist.
He was the most original artist among the Eight Strange Masters of Yangchow. He
also counted among his talents the ability to design wrought-ironwork for lanterns
and wall decorations.
Chin Nung's poetry, painting, and calligraphy were all equally creative and distinct.
His strokes, in a style that grew out of Northern stele engravings, appear as if chiseled
out of stone, and are reminiscent of the German Gothic script. This hanging scroll was
done when Chin Nung was thirty-three. It shows the development of an unusual creative independence. The horizontal lines are broad, the vertical lines thin, as though he
used a very
it

is

flat

brush. This script should not be classihed as merely official script, for

an entirely personal adaptation. Constructed architecturally,

and sublime.

it

is

at

once solemn

%
ft*

H
1^

86

*k<

&7. Official Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Couplet

Chin Nung (1687-1764)

1730
Pair of hanging scrolls, ink

on paper

48 "x 7" (each)

Wango
The

couplet

H. C.

may

Weng

Collection,

New York

be translated:

My drinking capacity more than three goblets;

My heart roaming [happily] through the books.
is

is

It

is

dated 1730, and signed, "Chih-ch'iu lao-sheng. Chin

Nung"; two

artist's seals

follow the signature.

Chin Nung wrote

this at the

age of forty-three, before he had begun to paint, and

ten years after the hanging scroll (no. 86) was written.
these illustrate that he

was equally

at ease

The

style

is

similar in both;

writing large and small characters.

^m

7t
87

&8.

Regular Script
Ch'ing dynasty

Poems
Chin Nung (1687-1764)
1754

Album

leaves, ink

on paper

6y2"xioi/4" (each)
Collection John

M. Crawford, Jr.,

New York

The album

contains thirty-eight poems by Chin Nung; twenty-four concern the art

of the old masters, the fourteen others are about his own paintings or in remembrance of
certain events. It is dated 1754 and inscribed: "Written for Mr. Hsieh-ku. Chin Nung,
a

man from Hangchow offers his obeisance." Two artist's

Chin Nung wrote this at the age of sixty-seven, when

painting.

The Gothic

feeling

is

still

stressed in this soberly regular script;

deliberately

awkward.

present, but
its

is

appearance

less
is

seals

foUow.

he had become devoted to

mannered. The horizontal

is

even more archaic, simple, and

^11

88 (detail)

89.

Running

Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Colophon
Chang Chao (1691-1745)
Poetic

1736
Handscroll, ink on paper

1974 "x 10'

51/4

"

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Purchase, 1952

This colophon

is

poem written after a bamboo painting by Hsia Ch'ang (1388The poem recounts the beauty of the painting and states
collection of Hsiang Yiian-pien (1525-1590), Kao Shih-ch'i (1645long

1470), Hsieh-ku ch'ing feng.

was in the
and finally entered the Palace collection. It is dated 1736.
Chang Chao's other names are Te-t'ien and Ching-nan. He was a native of Hua-t'ing
(Kiangsu Province). He passed the national civil examination at the age of eighteen
and went on to have a successful career in government. He died at the age of fifty- four,
and was given the posthumous title of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. He was
known for his knowledge of legal matters, and was talented in poetry, music, painting,
and calligraphy. Greatly admired by the Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Emperors, he
was one of the compilers of the extensive catalogues of painting and calligraphy in the
Palace collection [Shih chii pao chi and Pi-tien chu-lin).
Chang Chao's calligraphic training first followed the art of Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos.
60-62), and then Mi Fu (no. 22) and Yen Chen-ch'ing (no. 16). The Ch'ien-lung
Emperor considered his work stronger than that of Mi Fu and Tung Ch'i-ch'ang and
thought that he was the best caUigrapher of the Ch'ing dynasty. He was not very productive, and most of his works were in the former Palace collection. This colophon
that

it

1703),

belongs

among

his

more monumental

writings.

Sp

(detail,

end of scroll)

90.

Running

Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Poem
Cheng Hsieh (1693-1765)
Hanging

ink on paper

scroll,

53"x26"
Collection John

The poem

M. Crawford, Jr.,

New York

reads:

South and north of the river, snow is just melting.

Foggy tender yellows merge on the new branches.
The traveler who passed has been on the Pa River.
The visitor from Ch'u left fast, as before the swing of a dancing maiden.
Spring comes with rain on the road.

Evening sun sends

breeze over the desolate bridges.

Like a thread of cotton, of silk, pullmg the [heartfelt] regret.

How
It

is

very

far

inscribed:

"Cheng
Cheng

is

the

young man's route of return.

my

"To

old colleague Yiian. Pan-ch'iao,

Cheng Hsieh."

Two

seals,

Hsieh chih-yin" and "Wei-i chang," follow the signature.

whose other names are K'o-jou and Pan-ch'iao, also called himself
One"). Born in Hsing-hua in the Yangchow Prefecture (Kiangsu
Province), Cheng Hsieh was renowned for his talents as a poet, essayist, calligrapher,
painter [see fig. 18), and seal artist. He was one of the Eight Strange Masters of Yangchow and one of the Seven Great Seal Engravers of the Ch'ing dynasty.
Cheng Hsieh served for twelve years (1736-48) as the Mayor of Wei Hsien (Shantung
Province). After he was released from his post, he earned his living with his painting,
and composed essays on commission. Although he was not rich, he was a generous
friend to those in need. He never married, was an extremely outspoken individual,
and a notorious eccentric. Among the old masters, he most admired Hsii Wei (no. 57),
whose creation and personality strongly affected Cheng Hsieh. They both shared a
common spirit the air of unyielding independence.
Cheng Hsieh's calligraphy received inspiration from the Sung artist Su Shih (1036I loi
and from the earlier Han stele engravings in the official style. The squat appearance
Hsieh,

Feng-tzu ("The

Mad

and the emphasis of the

the official style

and running

{see

styles.

He

Cheng

Hsieh, however, fused

never saw the writings on the

them with

Han wooden

the

is

a kinship

between them.

It is

half tenths" (liii-Jen-paii-shu), that

is,

He

Han

dynasty.

the instinctive coordination of the

elements in the four major types of brush technique.

Li-tsao ("the running style of official script").

seal, regular,

tablets (see no. 6),

nor had he seen the brush writings on the earthen funerary ware of the
Nevertheless, there

of

stressed horizontal strokes to the right are special features

no. 7).

Some people called his style

named it the "six-and-one-

himself

six-and-one-half-tenths of the official style.

He

common with Tao chi (nos. 83, 84).

Chiang Shih-chiian (1725-1785), a well-known poet, wrote about Cheng Hsieh's

has something in

calligraphy:
if he were painting an orchid. His waving [lines] are peculiar
and antiquarian, as if moving and turning on wings. Pan-ch'iao paints orchids as if
he were writing. In graceful leaves and scattered blossoms, [he] conveys his manner
."
and taste.

Pan-ch'iao writes as

m^^^i^
^
vh

t^
-^

^r

1/W

)0

t^-

f^- 4'2^
90

f,V.->1i

91.

Regular Script
Ch'ing dynasty

Poem
Yung

Liu

(1719-1804)
Folding fan, mounted on inscribed
,

1272

//

wooden

ink

sticks,

on gold-flecked paper

//

X 20

Museum of Fine

Arts,

Boston

These poems from the T'ang dynasty are signed, "The humble Liu Yung wrote

Two

with reverence."
Liu

Yung was

called

of his

seals

follow.

by many names, the

this

landscape appears on the reverse.

best

known

being Shih-an.

He was

a native

illustrious positions at the court,

of Chu-ch"en (Shantung Province). He, too, achieved

and was a well-known scholar in history and philosophy.
calligrapher,

and

In his early years

of

Wang

He was

also a fine poet,

connoisseur of ink rubbings.

of calligraphic

Hsi-chih (nos.

9,

training, he, like

ioa-d).

In his

many

others, followed the tradition

middle age, he

moved more toward

the

manner of Su Shih (1036-1101). After the age of seventy, he entirely changed into the
Northern stele style, and turned away completely from Wang Hsi-chih's graceful traand awkward archaism. His late writings are considered his best. His
critics, however, said his writing was "clumsy, like ink blots." He was by no means
modest with regard to his late, completely independent style. One of his admirers
dition to a plain

commented

thus:

The early writing of Liu Shih-an [Yung] was smooth, like that of a young girl
whose hair is decorated with flowers. In his middle age it became strong and iirm,
assuming the dignity of the Grand Secretary. Finally,
forged by his inner maturity.
bone. This characteristic
as

of a

T'ai-chi

is

Some remarked

it

returned to a plainness

that his brush has

more

flesh

than

his distinction. His script had then the concealed strength

symbol [of the great

eternity],

which embraces the universe with

a mysterious profundity.

His brushwork benefited from the model of the engraved

as if

writing in the style often reproduced in rubbings.

steles.

He

concealed the

tip,

^\

-:^^?v.Wit.*

.-A

mm

--

yt^.^^^^^

:J^

Running Script

92.

Ch'ing dynasty

Couplet

Wang Wen-chih
Pair of hanging
491/2

"x

1
5/8

(1730-1802)

scrolls,

ink

on gold-specked paper

" (each)

Collection Colonel and Mrs. Tong-lao, Honolulu

Before the writing of the

are]

modeled

after

poem

Lan-nn^

hsii

are three small characters stating:

[of

Wang

Hsi-chih, see no. iob].

"These [characters

The

couplet

may

be

translated:

An
To

essay written

Wang

Wen-chih,

Province).
suits.

with inspiration

relish at the right

He

He was

is

is

heaverJy joy,

an age-old fascination.

also called Yii-ch'ing

and Meng-lou, was from Tan-t'u (Kiangsu

pursued a court career, and after retirement he continued literary pur-

considered together with Yiian Mei (1716-1797) as one of the

poets of his day. At

nawa), where

moment,

his

writing

is still

It is

said

His style was in

classical

school of Wang Hsi-chih,

and Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (nos.

that his writing was like that of a lady, more charming than vigorous.
direct contrast to the massive antique manner of Liu Yung (no. 91).

especially the style

60-62).

best

highly prized.

His calligraphic style followed the tradition of the

and

two

the age of twenty-four he had been stationed in Liu-ch'iu (Oki-

Wang Wen-chih was

of Chao Meng-fu

(nos. 30, 31)

described as being as attractive and graceful as his

own

writing.

92

93.

Running

Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Couplet
Ch'ien Feng

(i 740-1 795)

on paper decorated with auspicious symbols

and white

Pair of hanging scrolls, ink

amid clouds

in black

70 74 "x 1 1 1/2" (each)

The Art Museum, Princeton University

The writing may be

A
A

gentleman

who

translated as follows:

loves his people

would

act according to public opinion.

scholar dedicated to his profession, follows one single

The writing

is

dedicated to a friend.

t'ing"; the second panel

is

signed,

On

the

first

panel

is

concept sincerity.

written,

"To Brother Feng-

"The Younger One, Feng." One of the

artist's seals

follows his signature.

known as Nan-yiian, Tung-chu, and Chieh-shih-sheng. His

Kunming (Yunnan Province). After advancing in academic gradua-

Ch'ien Feng was also

family was from

became the Director of Education

in Hunan. He was a conscientious official, and while he was Censor at the capital, his
integrity led to a conflict with the powerful but corrupt Grand Councilor Ho-shen
(1750-1799). He stood his ground courageously, and won temporary support from the
court. When finally he was removed to the provinces, it was said that Ho-shen, by
continuously demanding paperwork, day and night, worked Ch'ien Feng to death.
Ch'ien Feng never lived as a professional artist but mastered both painting and
calligraphy exceedingly well. His horse painting is most original, resembling the style
of Han tiles. His calligraphy appears more often in the regular style, close to the austere
regular style of Yen Chen-ch'ing (no. 16). He preferred to use a blunt, worn brush in
tion,

he was raised to the post of Censor, and

order to emphasize his archaic

style.

manner, but nevertheless shows

Minister-Scholar

speak of his

own

his

Yen Chen-ch'ing,
conviction

as a

later

This couplet in running script

in

He was

is

not in his usual

by the honest
obviously
paired
phrases
one
way.
The
more than

sturdy personality.

goverimient

officer

and

inspired

as a gentleman-artist.

93

94. Official Script

Ch'ing dynasty

Couplet

Teng

Shih-ju (1743-1805)

Pair of hanging scrolls, ink

48 3/4 "x

1 1

78 "

on paper

(each)

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Purchase, Martha Cooke Steadman Fund, 1965

The poem

reads:

Gentleman's appearance

The

friends [around him,

[attitude]

is

as plain as

water.

however] have the fragrance of orchids

[aloof,

with

noble character].
It is
is

signed,

"Wan-pai, Teng Shih-ju."

impressed on the

first

Two

of his

seals

follow the signature; another

panel.

name was Yen; his other names are Shih-ju, Wan-pai, WanChi-yu shan-jen. Born in a modest farming village m Anhwei Province, he began to practice the art of seal engraving at an early age. He was discovered
by Magistrate Liang Hsien (act. 1762), a well-known calligrapher, who introduced him
to a scholar whose fme collection of bronze and stone engravmgs was made available
to him for study. After eight years of training, he began to travel widely. He worked
as secretary to the famous Governor-General and historian Pi Yiian (1730-1797). After
three years, he left Pi Yiian's service, once again wandering about and living from his
Teng

Shih-ju's original

pai shan-jen, and

professional writing.

Teng

Shih-ju

mastered

is

considered the

seal, official,

regular,

mentality: his use of brush

strokes that express his

last versatile

and cursive

calligrapher

styles.

of the Northern school.

His writing has a pre-T'ang

He

monu-

is severe, his structure concise. Yet there are unexpected

emotion without vulgar mannerisms.

3n

9
P

94

95. Official Script

Ch'ing dynasty

"The Path
I

at

Pine and Brook" {Sung

ch'iian ching)

Ping-shou (1754-1815)

1813
Handscroll, ink
I 3

74

on paper

"X 523/8"

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Purchase, 1964

The
is

inscription

perhaps the

of three large characters means "The Path

name of a garden

pavilion.

It is

at

Pine and Brook," which

signed, "I Ping-shou

wrote the

title."

Two of his seals follow the signature;

one appears before the first large character. Below

Hsing-chai of Hong Kong.

Chu
known as Tsu-szu and Mo-ch"ing. His family came from Ninghua (Fukien Province). His father, who was a fine scholar, gave him a strict NeoConfucian education. He passed the national civil examination and attained the position
it is
I

the seal of the collector

Ping-shou was

also

of Prefect. His administration operated with high ethical standards, and he was appreby the districts he governed. He built libraries, lectured at schools, sponsored the

ciated

was well informed on the subject of law. But his manner

and he was deprived of his position in about 1807. Later, in 1815,
he returned to office as Prefect of Yangchow. When he died in office, the Yangchow
populace included him in the "Three Sages Shrine," which honored the scholars
Ou-yang Hsiu (1007-1072), Su Shih (1036-1101), and Wang Shih-chen (1634-1711).
It has since been known as the "Four Sages Shrine."
printing of books, and
irritated his colleagues

His moral disposition

is

said to

have been revealed

in his art.

His poetry, his literary

same earnest and frank spirit. He preferred the ink rubbings of the Han and Northern steles, and did not like the calligraphy
of Chao Meng-fu (nos. 30, 31).
I Ping-shou was particularly admired for his official and seal scripts, which he did
composition, and

his calligraphy are all in the

with no intricate brush

and more heroic its aspect, with deep-

in a completely original style. His strokes are straightforward,

modulation. The larger his writing

set lines

sents

is,

the bolder

reminiscent of rubbings. But he was not very productive. This writing repre-

him

at his best, revealing a great sense

early training in the art of seal engraving.

of design, which

may

be attributed to

his

95

96.

Running Script
Ch'ing dynasty

"While Traveling from Ch'iung to Tan [along the coast of

Hainan Island]" by Su Shih (1036-1101)

Lines from

Ho

Shao-chi (1799-1873)
HandscroU, ink on paper
27^2 "X 58"

Wango
These

lines

H. C.

from

Weng

Collection,

poem by Su

Shih

New

may

York

be translated:

by the coming of Heaven's wind

waves like a thousand mountains move the fish
In the myriad valleys brightly sound the organ pipes [-^//f"^] and bells.
Solitary thoughts suddenly shattered

In

Translation by Adcle Rickett

The mscription reads: "Su Tung-p'o's [Su Shih's] poem about the sea is strange and
thrillmg. Only after I had been at sea, did I understand his truthful description. Ho
Shao-chi."

Two

of the

artist's seals

appear under

his signature.

Ho Shao-chi's other names are Tzu-chen, Tung-chou, Yiian-sou ("The Old Ape
Man"), and Yiian-pi-weng ("The Old Man with the Ape Arm"). He gave himself this
last name because of his manner of writing. He did not support his elbow on the table,
but suspended his whole arm in the air as in archery. History makes mention of the
famous archer of the Han dynasty, General Li Kuang, who never missed a shot, and
was called "The Ape Arm." Thus Ho Shao-chi also used the name, "The Old Man
with the Ape Arm," for himself as

Ho

Shao-chi's family

brothers were

all

was

known

a calligrapher.

He and

illustrious.

his twin,

for their calligraphy.

admitted to the Han-lin Academy.

Ho

Shao-yen, and two other

At the age of twenty-four, he was

He spent most of his life as

he was devoted to the study of the engraved stone

a lecturer

on the

classics:

and traveled widely to visit

the sites of original steles. Tseng Kuo-fan (181 1-1872) spoke of his talents: of his knowledge of ceremonial rites, of the Shuo-wen (the earliest known etymological dictionary),
steles,

of poetry, and of calligraphy.

His calligraphy was influenced by

Yen Chen-ch'ing

(no. 16); he

ern school, and did not like the Southern school of calligraphy.

middle

tip,

guiding

as in the seal script.

With

admired the Northfavored the round

He

great internal control, his brush appears

gone beyond his intent. It shows a slight arrogance he let the ink drip in
blots and a lack of patience for detail. Describing his own method of writing, he said:
to have

When

write

always suspend

my

wrist [hsilaii-waii], holding

my

brush with a

comes from my heel, travels through my body, and appears at my

fingertips. The energy of my whole body is concentrated in the fingers, and then
I move my brush. Not half finished, I would be soaking wet with sweat.
strength that

% %

it it

'-

-i ^^

#/
f.

'tt;

it4
96

If

g
;

'f

J!c -^f

Index of Artists

ikii

Chang Chao (1691-1745)

89

^vti

Chang

Jfc/^lfi

#'t

Kung

15

l^-5f

Kuo

64-66

itt

Li-tsung,

Hsii (act. 713-740)

Chang Jui-t'u

(c.

1569-after 1644)

^^5

Chang

Pi (1425-1487)

39

ik,^

Chang

Yii (1277-1348)

35

M.k'^

Chao Meng-chien

^Am

Chao Meng-fu (1254-1322)

f^mm

Ch'en Chi-ju (1558-1639)

63

Ch'en Hsien-chang (1428-1500)

42

Ch'en Hung-shou

73

28

199-1267)

(i

30,

3 I,

36A

Hsien (i620?-i689)

599-1652)

(b.

Emperor

1203,

r.

Ch'en Yiian-su (i6th-i7th century)

74, 75

Cheng Hsieh (1693-1765)

90

Ayi

Ch'ien Feng (1740-1795)

93

^t

Chin Nung (1687-1764)

Liang Ch'ing-piao (1620-1691)

i'J^4

Liu

^f

Mi Fu

m(t:rj

Ming-huang, Emperor (Hsiian-tsung;

Yung

%tiif

Mo

79

(17 19-1804)

91

22

(1051-1107)

r.

712-755)

Yun-ch'ing

(d.

14

1582)

58

593-1644)

68,69

P'eng Nien (1505-1566)

43 D

Yiian-lu

(i

4^

P'u-ho (1593-1683)

70

Shen Chou (1427-1509)

Chou

T'ien-ch'iu (1514-1595)

Chu Ta

(c.

1625-C. 1705)

Shih K'o-fa (1602-1645)

76

Sung K'o (1327-1387)

37

Ta Ch'ung-kuang (1623-1692)

81

56
82
T'ai-tsung,

Chu Yiin-ming

kkHiL

Ch'u Sui-Hang (596-658)

mi

Chung Yao

li^X

Fajo-chen (161 3-1696)

78

i4^

Fu Shan (1607-1684)

77

^i.^

Haijui

fsr*i4

Ho

sfi^i^

Hsiang Sheng-mo (1597-1658)

^t

Hsiao-tsung,

(1460-1526)

(a.d.

151-230)

(15 14-1587)

Shao-chi (1799-1873)

45-47

lOH

r.

1163-1189)

Hsien-yii Shu (1256-1301)

Shih-ju (1743-1805)

f^i^

Tung

Ch'i-ch'ang (1555-1636)

if-

Wang Ao

55

-i*i

Wang

Hsi-chih (303-379)

96

i/KL^

Hsien-chih (344-386)

J-it^f

Wang
Wang

li-i^

Wang

Shih-shen (1686-1749)

iff

Wang To

72

24

Hsuan-tsung,

83,84
94

60-62
44

(1450-1524)

Ku-hsiang (1501-1568)

(1592-1652)

Wang Wen-chih

Wen
Wen

53

(1521-1593)

13

9,

lOA-D
lOE

43 c, 54
85

67

32-34

71

Wei

626-649)

Teng

Hsu Hung-chi

Hsii

Emperor

r.

f^^-ka

59

Hsu Lin (1490-1548)

598,

Tao-chi (1641-c. 1720)

Hsing T'ung (1551-1612)

(before 1595-1641)

(b.

it'4-

Emperor

(1127-1194,

40, 41

86-88

iLiL,if\

"tvA

29

52

^t

^fM

1225-1264)

^i-^f?(l*)

Ni
Ch'en Shun (1483-1544)

36B

Pi (1301-1355)

685-762,

(i

80

57

Cheng-ming (1470-1559)
P'eng (1498-1573)

Wu K'uan
^/s

(1730-1802)

(1435-1504)

92
48-51
43 B
43 A

Yang, Empress

see
(act.

1195-after 1225)

25

Ming-huang, Emperor
Huai-su,

^4^
'.f.

Yao Shou (1422-1495)

(737-after 798)

Huang T'ing-chien (1045-1105)

I

,^

The Monk

Ping-shou (1754-1815)

21
95

Kao-tsung, Emperor
(1107-1187,

r.

1127-1162)

38

17

23

190-1244)

Yeh-lii Ch'u-ts'ai

(i

m^^

Yen Chen-ch'ing

(709-785)

i%^>^

Yu

Shih-nan (558-638)

27
16

ICG

Text

contpositioti

hy National Typesetting Corporation

Philadelphia

Maple Shade,

with display composition by Pickering Press,

Printed by

New Jersey

The Meriden Gravnre Company Meriden, Connecticut

Designed by John Anderson

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