A HANDSCROLL OF CALLIGRAPHY IN CURSIVE SCRIPT BY LI DONGYANG (1447-1516) MING DYNASTY, HONGZHI PERIOD, DATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1496

ink on paper, inscribed with a poem originally composed by Shen Zhou (1427-1509) for the painting Changjiang wanli tu (‘Thousand Miles along Yangtze River’) for Commander Guo, masterfully written in cursive script, signed Li Dongyang and dated to the second half of the third month in the bingchen year of the Hongzhi period, corresponding to 1496, followed by two colophons, the first one signed Pan Zhaoxing and dated to the 26th year of the Qianlong period, corresponding to 1761, the second signed Cheng Yi (c. 1833-1872) and dated to the fourth year of the Guangxu period, corresponding to 1878, overall impressed with 13 seals

Collection of Wei Lunxian (seals).

Hosokawa Morisada Collection ten I – Kougana bunjinno sekai – Minshinno kaiga to shoseki, bunbougu [Morisada Hosokawa Collection exhibition I – The World of a refined writer – Paintings, calligraphy and stationery in Ming and Qing Dynasty], Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Kumamoto, 1992, cat. no. 51.

The title of the brocade wrapper has minor age damage, with minor loss to detail. As visible in the catalogue photo, there is rubbing to the calligraphy, with loss to several of the characters and to the seal mark on the top right of the first photo. There are also water/humidity mould stains to the painting, particularly acute in the area where two of the fragments are linked together. It is possible that there are several missing columns of calligraphy, possibly where the hand scroll was folded and damaged. Other blurring to area of the calligraphy from the mounting process. The calligraphy is slightly cut short at the bottom, where it was cut and mounted. Minor tears to the mount, particularly at the mounts.
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This is a calligraphic rendition, in large cursive script, of Shen Zhou’s poem Inscription on the painting ‘Thousand Miles along Yangtze River’ for Commander Guo. Executed without hesitation, as if in one breath, the calligraphy is dashing and carefree, echoing the vast imagery of its literary content and showcasing the calligrapher’s virtuosity.

Li Dongyang (1447-1516), zi Binzhi, hao Xiya, yi Wenzheng, was a famous literatus of the mid-Ming period who served at the imperial court for five decades. An elegant writer and a proficient connoisseur, he was also renowned as a calligrapher. He was recognized for his talents even as a child, when he was received by the Jingtai Emperor several times to demonstrate his calligraphic skills. Li Dongyang first studied the calligraphy of Yan Zhenqing to the point of thorough mastery but later established his own style. He was especially proficient at the large cursive script, for which he was deemed “unmatched in artistry” by his contemporaries, and was also skilled at ancient prose and seal and clerical scripts. He often wrote draft edicts at court. After attaining the jinshi degree in 1464, he served as Junior Chamberlain of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Vice Minister of Rites among other posts and rose to be Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Minister of Rites, and Grand Academician of the Hall of Literary Profundity. He had the reputation of a virtuous official. Following the death of the Hongzhi Emperor, Li Dongyang was tasked with managing the country as a Minister-Regent. Upon the ascension of the Zhengde Emperor, he became Grand Mentor and Minister of Personnel, but left office disillusioned by the corruption of the Emperor and the court eunuchs.

The poem on this scroll, originally written by Shen Zhou (1427-1509) to accompany a painting of Ten Thousand Miles along Yangtze River, is recorded in Liechao shiji [Collected poems of the dynasties] compiled by Qian Qianyi (1582-1664). According to Wen Zhengming’s inscription on Shen Zhou’s long scroll Rivers and Mountains, when they were at the Shuang’e Monastery in 1489, Shen was painting Ten Thousand Miles along Yangtze River, and Wen expressed admiration for it. If this painting was the same one as that recorded in Liechao shiji, then Li Dongyang wrote his cursive rendition of Shen Zhou’s original about seven years afterwards.

Two colophons follow Li Dongyang’s piece, the former giving his biography, signed and sealed by a Pan Shaoxin, and dated to 1761. Unfortunately there exists no known documentation of Pan.

The collector’s seals, such as the one reading Wei shi Wenyun zhencang [Precious collection of Wei Wenyun], indicate that this scroll belonged to the late-Qing collector Wei Lunxian, zi Wenyun, a native of Hengyang whose dates are unknown. Historical records indicate that Wei was competent in foreign affairs and served under Li Hongzhang (1823-1901).

Cheng Yi (c. 1833-72) wrote the frontispiece and a colophon, which records that Wei Lunxian asked him for inscriptions. Cheng Yi, zi Zhiqing, late hao Guwan, was skilled in calligraphy and landscape painting and had a rich art collection. As a calligrapher, he first studied under He Shaoji, and later the seal and clerical styles of the Jin and Wei periods, in addition to the work by Deng Yuanbai.