Chinese Calligraphy
See also : China Chinese art Archaic China Song Yuan Ming Buddhism
Chronology : 1-1000 1000-1300 14th century 15th century 1430-1459 1610-1619
Chronology : 1-1000 1000-1300 14th century 15th century 1430-1459 1610-1619
Tang period copy of a calligraphy by Wang Xizhi
2010 SOLD for RMB 310M by China Guardian
The greatest masters of calligraphy pass on their knowledge to the literati. Under the Jin in the 4th century CE, Wang Xizhi achieves the supreme elegance with cursive calligraphy, to which his son Wang Xianzhi brings fluidity by writing each character in a single brush stroke.
On November 20-23, 2010, China Guardian sold for RMB 310M a fragment containing 4 lines on silk 25 x 14 cm of a poem by Wang Xizhi on the theme of a security wish. It is illustrated in the post sale article shared by BBC. This sheet has been separated into two pieces in ancient times.
Its cursive script is much in the style of Wang Xizhi. Experts believe that it was made in the Tang dynasty period. The auction house checked its provenance up to the time of the Yuan.
No autograph work by Wang Xizhi is surviving. The Qianlong emperor inscribed this manuscript twice. He considered it as important as another script from Wang Xizhi on the subject of the sunshine after heavy snow that was in the Imperial Collection.
On November 20-23, 2010, China Guardian sold for RMB 310M a fragment containing 4 lines on silk 25 x 14 cm of a poem by Wang Xizhi on the theme of a security wish. It is illustrated in the post sale article shared by BBC. This sheet has been separated into two pieces in ancient times.
Its cursive script is much in the style of Wang Xizhi. Experts believe that it was made in the Tang dynasty period. The auction house checked its provenance up to the time of the Yuan.
No autograph work by Wang Xizhi is surviving. The Qianlong emperor inscribed this manuscript twice. He considered it as important as another script from Wang Xizhi on the subject of the sunshine after heavy snow that was in the Imperial Collection.
1080 Letter to a Friend by Zeng Gong
2016 SOLD for RMB 207M by China Guardian
narrated in 2021
Zeng Gong lived at the height of the Song dynasty. He had received the jinshi, the highest degree of the imperial exams, and had a parallel literary and military career, as it was often the case. He was a historian, geographer, poet and essayist. Without being a professional calligrapher, he was a collector of ancient calligraphy and inscribed tablets.
An autograph letter has survived. 124 characters in regular kaishu script are distributed in thirteen columns in a perfect parallelism and spacing on a 29 x 38 cm sheet. It is precisely dated, corresponding to September 27, 1080 CE. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
In this document titled Jushi Tie (letter on some happenings), Zeng writes to a friend whom he had not seen for three years. He expresses his doubts about his ability to hold a post at the court. This question was on the spot since he will be summoned a month later in the capital Kaifeng to be awarded a promotion by the Shenzong emperor, with the mission of a study on the history of the Five Dynasties.
Jushi Tie was sold for RMB 109M including premium by Poly on November 22, 2009, lot 5126, and for RMB 207M including premium by China Guardian on May 15, 2016, lot 1424.
An autograph letter has survived. 124 characters in regular kaishu script are distributed in thirteen columns in a perfect parallelism and spacing on a 29 x 38 cm sheet. It is precisely dated, corresponding to September 27, 1080 CE. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
In this document titled Jushi Tie (letter on some happenings), Zeng writes to a friend whom he had not seen for three years. He expresses his doubts about his ability to hold a post at the court. This question was on the spot since he will be summoned a month later in the capital Kaifeng to be awarded a promotion by the Shenzong emperor, with the mission of a study on the history of the Five Dynasties.
Jushi Tie was sold for RMB 109M including premium by Poly on November 22, 2009, lot 5126, and for RMB 207M including premium by China Guardian on May 15, 2016, lot 1424.
11th century CE Mi Fu colophon on a scroll by Su Shi
2018 SOLD for HK$ 460M by Christie's
Under the Song, the literati are philosophers and humanists who sometimes have the audacity to oppose imperial politics. Their supreme mode of expression is calligraphy, which conveys to their readers the firmness and rhythm of their thought.
In 1071 CE, Su Shi had been expelled from the capital, starting at the age of 34 a second career as a provincial servant with increasingly mediocre missions despite his immense talent. He died in 1101. His younger friend Mi Fu escaped political persecution by his reputation for eccentricity. They were the two best calligraphers in their lifetime.
A nine-character autograph message on a 28 x 9.5 cm sheet sent by Su Shi to the governor of a locality that he was leaving was sold for $ 8.2M by Sotheby's on September 19, 2013.
Graphic art is exceptional in their works. The movement of the artist's hand is the same as for calligraphy. The rare drawings by Su Shi translate emotions too deep to be expressed in words. Mi Fu will only paint in the last years of his life, mostly after Su Shi's death.
On November 26, 2018, Christie's sold for HK $ 460M a 26 x 50 cm ink on paper painted by Su Shi, lot 8008. This piece is extended by many colophons including an appreciation calligraphed by Mi Fu, and includes many seals. Please watch two videos shared by the auction house.
The image consists of two elements that join together : a leafless tree twisted into several undulations and a bulky rock. The dryness of the tree expresses the desolation of the artist in his exile while at the opposite edge on the left flank of the rock the sparse bamboos bring the hope of a new vitality.
In 1071 CE, Su Shi had been expelled from the capital, starting at the age of 34 a second career as a provincial servant with increasingly mediocre missions despite his immense talent. He died in 1101. His younger friend Mi Fu escaped political persecution by his reputation for eccentricity. They were the two best calligraphers in their lifetime.
A nine-character autograph message on a 28 x 9.5 cm sheet sent by Su Shi to the governor of a locality that he was leaving was sold for $ 8.2M by Sotheby's on September 19, 2013.
Graphic art is exceptional in their works. The movement of the artist's hand is the same as for calligraphy. The rare drawings by Su Shi translate emotions too deep to be expressed in words. Mi Fu will only paint in the last years of his life, mostly after Su Shi's death.
On November 26, 2018, Christie's sold for HK $ 460M a 26 x 50 cm ink on paper painted by Su Shi, lot 8008. This piece is extended by many colophons including an appreciation calligraphed by Mi Fu, and includes many seals. Please watch two videos shared by the auction house.
The image consists of two elements that join together : a leafless tree twisted into several undulations and a bulky rock. The dryness of the tree expresses the desolation of the artist in his exile while at the opposite edge on the left flank of the rock the sparse bamboos bring the hope of a new vitality.
Christie’s Announces 1000-year-old $50m Su Shi Scroll https://t.co/eVdovdYFyr pic.twitter.com/XpeTTOdBby
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) August 30, 2018
1095 Ancient Chinese Calligraphy
2010 SOLD 436 M RMB yuan including premium
The East Asian calligraphy can be interpreted as a means of linking poetry to graphic art. In fact, it is a form of art by itself, although not available and rarely commented on the Western market. Come directly to Beijing.
Exactly one year ago, Poly sold a fine collection of Qing calligraphy made in very large letters by the emperors themselves in order to spread moral slogans. Such imperial calligraphy is a very ancient tradition as some writings by the second Tang emperor are known.
A scroll of paper from Song period is for sale at Beijing by Poly International Auction on June 3. 37 cm high with a length exceeding 8 meters, it is completely covered with characters drawn in ink by Huang Tingjian, one of the most famous master calligraphers of his time. It is a fine example of his art consisting of semi-cursive letters in an energetic and accentuated style. Depending on location, this text includes from 4 to 15 characters within the height.
This artwork seems being very well maintained despite its age: Huang died 905 years ago. The online catalog does not provide information on the contents of the text. Unlike most lots of this important sale, the estimate is not published.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is a triumph for culture. It was registered in China on a Chinese piece, by a Chinese auction house: 390 million RMB hammer price, RMB 436 million including premium. The buyer has paid the equivalent of U.S. $ 63.8 million.
After this success, I found some additional information on the lot itself.
Completed around 1095 of our calendar, it contains 600 characters of which some examples are presented in the article shared by China Daily. Titled Di Zhu Ming, it is a copy of a Tang poem.
It was originally a little over 8 meters long, and was enlarged to 15 meters by comments. It includes a small portrait of the calligrapher artist.
Exactly one year ago, Poly sold a fine collection of Qing calligraphy made in very large letters by the emperors themselves in order to spread moral slogans. Such imperial calligraphy is a very ancient tradition as some writings by the second Tang emperor are known.
A scroll of paper from Song period is for sale at Beijing by Poly International Auction on June 3. 37 cm high with a length exceeding 8 meters, it is completely covered with characters drawn in ink by Huang Tingjian, one of the most famous master calligraphers of his time. It is a fine example of his art consisting of semi-cursive letters in an energetic and accentuated style. Depending on location, this text includes from 4 to 15 characters within the height.
This artwork seems being very well maintained despite its age: Huang died 905 years ago. The online catalog does not provide information on the contents of the text. Unlike most lots of this important sale, the estimate is not published.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is a triumph for culture. It was registered in China on a Chinese piece, by a Chinese auction house: 390 million RMB hammer price, RMB 436 million including premium. The buyer has paid the equivalent of U.S. $ 63.8 million.
After this success, I found some additional information on the lot itself.
Completed around 1095 of our calendar, it contains 600 characters of which some examples are presented in the article shared by China Daily. Titled Di Zhu Ming, it is a copy of a Tang poem.
It was originally a little over 8 meters long, and was enlarged to 15 meters by comments. It includes a small portrait of the calligrapher artist.
900 years ago Letter to a Friend by Zhu Dunru
2020 SOLD for RMB 150M including premium by China Guardian
narrated in 2021
A military officer and a poet, Zhu Dunru did not take part in the events of the fall of the Northern Song in 1127 CE but became provincial secretary in Shaoxing for the Southern Song and in 1135 CE followed the training for the jinshi, the highest degree of the imperial examinations. He died in 1159 CE, aged 78.
Zhu Dunru's known literary activity consists only of singing poems, a form that had previously been practiced by Su Shi, the most outstanding Song poet.
An autograph letter by Zhu Dunru was sold for RMB 150M including premium by China Guardian on December 1, 2020, lot 279. The image is shared by China Daily in their review of the top results for Chinese art in 2020 auctions.
This letter to a friend in running and cursive script calligraphy on paper 35 x 46 cm is titled Kui Suo Tie, meaning "It has been a long time since I saw you". By its size and the number of its words spread over twelve columns, it is the most important of the four surviving autograph documents by this poet.
Zhu Dunru's known literary activity consists only of singing poems, a form that had previously been practiced by Su Shi, the most outstanding Song poet.
An autograph letter by Zhu Dunru was sold for RMB 150M including premium by China Guardian on December 1, 2020, lot 279. The image is shared by China Daily in their review of the top results for Chinese art in 2020 auctions.
This letter to a friend in running and cursive script calligraphy on paper 35 x 46 cm is titled Kui Suo Tie, meaning "It has been a long time since I saw you". By its size and the number of its words spread over twelve columns, it is the most important of the four surviving autograph documents by this poet.
ZHAO MENGFU
1
1302 Huang Ting Jing
2023 SOLD for RMB 180M by Poly
Active after the fall of the Southern Song in 1279 CE, Zhao Mengfu is a prince-artist who belongs to the fallen dynasty. Poet, jurist, painter and calligrapher, he combines the strict clarity of regular calligraphy with the expressiveness of semi-cursive calligraphy. His allegiance to the Yuan was severely criticized in period.
His calligraphy writing gradually evolves to take example from the two supreme masters of the Jin era, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, who had established the perfect synthesis of the various styles 950 years earlier. Zhao's writing is considered one of the best models of regular script.
A handscroll in ink on paper was signed and dated in the 6th year of the second period of the Chenzong emperor, 1302 CE. It is made in four parts from introduction to postscript. The height is 27.5 to 32 cm and the overall length is 450 cm.
It is a copy of the Huang Ting Jing as calligraphed by Wang Xizhi and amended by the small regular style of Tang period calligrapher Zhong Shaojing. This Taoist text deals with achieving health preservation and immortality by rinsing the body, breathing, fasting and chanting sutras. The brushwork is meticulous, sharp and fast.
The artist added an emotional comment on this piece 19 years later, 80 days before his death.
It was sold for RMB 180M by Poly on July 5, 2023, lot 817 illustrated in the post sale report shared by The Value.
His calligraphy writing gradually evolves to take example from the two supreme masters of the Jin era, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, who had established the perfect synthesis of the various styles 950 years earlier. Zhao's writing is considered one of the best models of regular script.
A handscroll in ink on paper was signed and dated in the 6th year of the second period of the Chenzong emperor, 1302 CE. It is made in four parts from introduction to postscript. The height is 27.5 to 32 cm and the overall length is 450 cm.
It is a copy of the Huang Ting Jing as calligraphed by Wang Xizhi and amended by the small regular style of Tang period calligrapher Zhong Shaojing. This Taoist text deals with achieving health preservation and immortality by rinsing the body, breathing, fasting and chanting sutras. The brushwork is meticulous, sharp and fast.
The artist added an emotional comment on this piece 19 years later, 80 days before his death.
It was sold for RMB 180M by Poly on July 5, 2023, lot 817 illustrated in the post sale report shared by The Value.
2
1290-1322 Letters
2019 SOLD for RMB 270M by China Guardian
On November 19, 2019, China Guardian sold a lot of two autograph letters by Zhao for RMB 270M. This set is illustrated in the press release shared after the sale by the auction house.
In one of the two letters, Zhao acknowledges the ambivalence of his political position and the embarrassment it arouses among his friends. Of course, he shows himself in his best light and considers that his attitude is courageous. He seems to have really wanted to reconcile the interests of the fallen Song and of their Mongol successors. This letter has for terminus post quem the political conversion of Zhao, around 1290 CE, and for terminus ante quem his death in 1322.
The second letter in this lot describes his support and sympathy for his friends in that time of economic difficulty and his feeling of loneliness during his stay in the capital city.
In one of the two letters, Zhao acknowledges the ambivalence of his political position and the embarrassment it arouses among his friends. Of course, he shows himself in his best light and considers that his attitude is courageous. He seems to have really wanted to reconcile the interests of the fallen Song and of their Mongol successors. This letter has for terminus post quem the political conversion of Zhao, around 1290 CE, and for terminus ante quem his death in 1322.
The second letter in this lot describes his support and sympathy for his friends in that time of economic difficulty and his feeling of loneliness during his stay in the capital city.
3
Heart Sutra
2017 SOLD for RMB 190M by Poly
Zhao Mengfu is a Buddhist. The Heart Sutra is perfect for serving as a model for two reasons. It is the shortest of the Sutras and its most classic version fits in five or six sheets. It is especially appreciated in China because its oldest known version is in Chinese language.
Several pieces calligraphed by Zhao are known. After a long career, he dies in 1322 CE at the age of 68, and these works cannot be dated with precision. An ancient legend shows the artist copying a Heart Sutra to exchange it with a monk for tea.
A Heart Sutra by Zhao Mengfu was sold for RMB 190M by Poly on December 17, 2017, lot 3535. This piece is a five-sheet 28.6 x 12 cm album, with no drawing added. The five sheets are illustrated twice in the post-sale article by The Value.
Several pieces calligraphed by Zhao are known. After a long career, he dies in 1322 CE at the age of 68, and these works cannot be dated with precision. An ancient legend shows the artist copying a Heart Sutra to exchange it with a monk for tea.
A Heart Sutra by Zhao Mengfu was sold for RMB 190M by Poly on December 17, 2017, lot 3535. This piece is a five-sheet 28.6 x 12 cm album, with no drawing added. The five sheets are illustrated twice in the post-sale article by The Value.
1430 Imperial Wisdom
2018 SOLD for HK$ 240M including premium
The calligraphy of the Sutras of Mahayana Buddhism is an act of piety welcomed for education and enlightenment. When the patron or the user is an emperor, the manuscript reaches a luxury unmatched in its class.
A gold ink on dark blue paper is sumptuous. A Lotus Sutra handwritten in 1345 CE for the education of a child emperor of Korea was sold for HK $ 31.6M including premium by Sotheby's on May 30, 2016. The lot consisted of seven big albums.
Buddhism is essential for the consolidation of the Ming dynasty. After the death of the warrior emperor Yongle, his Buddhist advisers organize a period of peace. The very short reign of the Hongxi emperor initiates the necessary reforms. His son the Xuande emperor can satisfy his artistic talents and grant to Buddhism a preference devoid from political intents.
During the fifth year of his reign, 1430 CE, Xuande commissioned an Elder of the State named Huijin to calligraphy four great Sutras. The paper is covered with dark indigo ink mixed with goat brain. This thick, brilliant and strong layer allows the gold to stay on the surface without diffusing into the paper fibers. This biological constituent is an emulsifier similar to egg white in the tempera paint.
All the four Sutras are realized. Two are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The third was probably early lost in a fire after being presented to a monastery founded with Xuande's sponsorship.
Two cases containing five consecutive albums each from the Sutra of transcendent wisdom or prajnaparamita have survived. In addition to the calligraphy, the work includes illustrations in thin gold lines of Buddhist, imperial and esoteric figures including Buddhas, dragons and demons. This set will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 101. The rest of this very long Sutra is lost.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
A gold ink on dark blue paper is sumptuous. A Lotus Sutra handwritten in 1345 CE for the education of a child emperor of Korea was sold for HK $ 31.6M including premium by Sotheby's on May 30, 2016. The lot consisted of seven big albums.
Buddhism is essential for the consolidation of the Ming dynasty. After the death of the warrior emperor Yongle, his Buddhist advisers organize a period of peace. The very short reign of the Hongxi emperor initiates the necessary reforms. His son the Xuande emperor can satisfy his artistic talents and grant to Buddhism a preference devoid from political intents.
During the fifth year of his reign, 1430 CE, Xuande commissioned an Elder of the State named Huijin to calligraphy four great Sutras. The paper is covered with dark indigo ink mixed with goat brain. This thick, brilliant and strong layer allows the gold to stay on the surface without diffusing into the paper fibers. This biological constituent is an emulsifier similar to egg white in the tempera paint.
All the four Sutras are realized. Two are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The third was probably early lost in a fire after being presented to a monastery founded with Xuande's sponsorship.
Two cases containing five consecutive albums each from the Sutra of transcendent wisdom or prajnaparamita have survived. In addition to the calligraphy, the work includes illustrations in thin gold lines of Buddhist, imperial and esoteric figures including Buddhas, dragons and demons. This set will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 101. The rest of this very long Sutra is lost.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
1616-1672 Echo through the Mountains
2023 SOLD for HK$ 190M by China Guardian
Dong Qichang desired to be an arbiter of taste. He constituted with younger fellows a sort of academy later identified as the Nine Friends in Painting (Hua Zhong Jiu You) by poet Wu Weiye in 1655 CE.
The scholar artist Wu Hufan began in 1933 collecting albums of art and associated calligraphies by each of the nine. The collection was complete in 1947. The albums were carefully assembled into a unified shape with the overall title Echo through the mountains : Landscapes and Calligraphy by the Nine Friends in Painting.
The earliest entry is an album by Dong Qichang of eight leaves 25.3 x 17.5 cm dated bingchen, 1616 CE. It is titled Album of Landscapes after Old Masters. The next one, in 1622 by Li Liufang, is titled Album of Landscapes and Calligraphies. The latest, made in 1672, brings the overall total to 108 leaves. Its art is by the youngest, Wang Jian, who was aged 38 at Dong's passing in 1636.
The nine volumes were sold for HK $ 190M by China Guardian as a single lot on June 12, 2023, lot 790.
The scholar artist Wu Hufan began in 1933 collecting albums of art and associated calligraphies by each of the nine. The collection was complete in 1947. The albums were carefully assembled into a unified shape with the overall title Echo through the mountains : Landscapes and Calligraphy by the Nine Friends in Painting.
The earliest entry is an album by Dong Qichang of eight leaves 25.3 x 17.5 cm dated bingchen, 1616 CE. It is titled Album of Landscapes after Old Masters. The next one, in 1622 by Li Liufang, is titled Album of Landscapes and Calligraphies. The latest, made in 1672, brings the overall total to 108 leaves. Its art is by the youngest, Wang Jian, who was aged 38 at Dong's passing in 1636.
The nine volumes were sold for HK $ 190M by China Guardian as a single lot on June 12, 2023, lot 790.
