Ming Dong Qichang's Copy of Mi Fu's "Record of Fangyuan An"

Author: Shanghai Shuhua Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: "Dong Qichang's Copy of Mi Fu's 'Record of the Square and Round Studio,' on silk, twenty-five sheets, six lines per sheet, with five, six, seven, or eight characters per line. The full text consists of seven hundred sixty-eight characters, with the title 'Record of the Square and Round Studio' in four large characters at the beginning and forty-one small characters at the end. Compared to the original Song-era woodblock printing of Mi Fu's text, there are two missing characters '' (however) in the eighteenth line; three characters '' (as for me) are missing before the character '' (Buddha) in the sixth vertical line; in the sixty-sixth line, '' is originally ''; in the seventy-second line, '' is originally ''; there is one less character '' (view) after '' (different) in the eighty-fifth line; and there is one extra character '' (studio) in the ninety-fourth line. 'Dong Qichang's Copy of Mi Fu's 'Record of the Square and Round Studio,' on silk, twenty-five sheets, six lines per sheet, with five, six, seven, or eight characters per line. The full text consists of seven hundred sixty-eight characters, with the title 'Record of the Square and Round Studio' in four large characters at the beginning and forty-one small characters at the end. Compared to the original Song-era woodblock printing of Mi Fu's text, there are two missing characters '' (however) in the eighteenth line; three characters '' (as for me) are missing before the character '' (Buddha) in the sixth vertical line; in the sixty-sixth line, '' is originally ''; in the seventy-second line, '' is originally ''; there is one less character '' (view) after '' (different) in the eighty-fifth line; and there is one extra character '' (studio) in the ninety-fourth line. Mi Fu's 'Record of the Square and Round Studio' was written in the Northern Song Dynasty during the Yuanfeng era (1083 AD) and was specifically created for the high monk Biancai of India, whoed the Square and Round Studio on Longjing Mountain in Hangzhou. It was carved into stone by Tao Zheng, but the ink rubbing has long been lost. The stone carving was destroyed early on, making the Song-era woodblock prints rare. Shen Shitian once owned this rubbing, and he remarked, 'Mi Youren praised, "The calligraphy of his father has sharp turns at the corners, as if each stroke is in flight," and also said, "It has the elegance of swirling clouds and flying spirits." This record truly embodies that spirit!" Dong Qichang (1555–1636) lived to be eighty-two years old. He began studying Li Yong at a young age and later learned from Mi Fu, delving deeply into both styles, mastering about one-third of Li's techniques and two-thirds of Mi's. He practiced calligraphy in all styles throughout his life. At the age of seventy, he began studying Yan Zhenqing and later learned from Yu Yongxing. He then broadened his horizons by studying the calligraphers of the Jin and Tang dynasties, carrying forward tradition while innovating. His running script and regular script calligraphy were unparalleled in his generation. He once said, "Compared to Zhao Wenmin, each has strengths and weaknesses. My calligraphy may be slightly inferior to his in execution," but when it came to Mi Fu, he said, "Mi Yuanzhang's calligraphy is profound and expressive, directly rivaling the Jin dynasty's masters." He also said, "Mi's running script and cursive calligraphy, passed down in the world, almost rival the Jin dynasty's masters in spirit!" He often said, "To wield the brush in calligraphy, one must grasp the essence of Mi Yuanzhang." The philosophy of the high monk Biancai's Square and Round Studio also resonated with Mi and Dong's understanding of calligraphy, which is why he "loved it deeply." This work is a copy by Dong Qichang, so its essence is no different from his own creations. Once he infused his intent into the brush, the calligraphy took on a natural elegance, flowing effortlessly, self-creating, self-restrained, and full of individual style. The brush moved without stopping, changing '' to '', omitting '', and adding an extra '', all in one breath. The calligraphy is elegant and captivating, dazzling and brilliant, truly a masterpiece of Dong's calligraphy, rivaling the rare Song-era woodblock print of Mi Fu. It is a joy to behold, transporting one into a world of art. Dong Qichang preferred light ink, but works like this, executed with intent, often use dark ink. Historically, calligraphers have lamented the lack of original works, but now, the printed version is extremely close to the original, a great delight. This piece, being an original, may even be more valuable than the rare Song-era woodblock print. Li Zonghan said, "Mi Fu's 'Record of the Square and Round Studio' was written when he was only thirty-three, precisely when he was dedicated to studying the Jin dynasty's masters. His brush control was so refined that it could rival Wang Xiang. In other works, his extraordinary style often overshadowed his classical foundations. Because of this, this piece is called Mi's 'masterpiece.'" The composition of this piece follows the style of the "Preface to the Stele of the Holy Teaching" and incorporates techniques from both the "Great Commandments" and the styles of Chu Henan. Dong Qichang's copying process not onlyed Mi Fu's spirited and elegant essence but also expressed his own unique creativity. This piece is recorded in "Shiqu Baoji" Volume 28. It is sealed with the imperial seal "Qianlong's Imperial Review," the square seal "Shiqu Baoji," the oval seal "Imperial Study Collection," the ink seal "Jiaqing's Imperial Review," and the seal "Beiping Sun Ze." This work has been hidden in the depths of palaces and among private collectors for four hundred years, enduring hardships. It is now a private collection of overseas Chinese and is being published in print for all to appreciate.