Song dynasty edition of the Canghua Pavilion Collection. Wang Xianzhi

Author: Wang Xianzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing, also known as The Cunhua Secret Gallery Rubbing or The Official Rubbing, is abbreviated as The Gallery Rubbing. It was carved in the "Secret Gallery" during the Cunhua period of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the third year of the Cunhua era (992 AD), Emperor Taizong of Song ordered Wang Zhuo, a court painter, to engrave the famous calligraphy and paintings from the Han to Tang dynasties held in the imperial collection into The Cunhua Secret Gallery Rubbing in ten volumes. After the carving was completed, the imperial collection used Chengxin Hall paper and Li Tinggui ink to print it. Historical records from the Song Dynasty state: "Emperor Xiling, who pacified the four directions, after the chariot bows of the Han dynasty, paid attention to calligraphy and painting, using his calculations to obtain the genuine works from the imperial collection, ordering Wang Zhuo, the court painter, to record them in the palace and organize them into ten volumes." The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing volumes nine and ten feature Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy, totaling sixty-three pieces in these two volumes. Due to the exquisite craftsmanship of the carving, The Gallery Rubbing relatively accurately reflects Wang Xianzhi's calligraphic style. The Cunhua Secret Gallery Rubbing (ten volumes) is a historical collection of calligraphy, abbreviated as The Gallery Rubbing. In the third year of the Cunhua era (992 AD), Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi of Song ordered the collection of historical calligraphy from the Secret Gallery to be compiled by Wang Zhuo, with labels indicating the calligraphy, and engraved on mulberry wood boards. When ministers were promoted to the two courts, one copy was presented to them. The Gallery Rubbing is one of China's most famous calligraphy collections. From the Han Emperor Zhangdi to the Tang Emperor Gaozong, including famous ministers such as the "Two Wangs" (Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xizhi) and Tang and Liu, there are 103 calligraphers and approximately 420 works included. From then on, a large number of ancient calligraphic works were preserved through it, earning it the title of "crown of calligraphy collections" and its legacy lasting for a thousand years. Based on the examination of the surviving fragments of the Song-era The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing collection, including The Calligraphy of Famous Ministers Through the Ages (Volume 4) and The Calligraphy of Various Masters (Volume 5), the author found that the Tang calligraphers included in The Gallery Rubbing were masters such as Zhu Siliang, Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Liu Gongquan, Li Yi, Lu Jianzhi, Bo Shaozhi, Zhang Xu, and Huai Su, but Yan Zhenqing was not included. Further examination of the The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing from the Shu Mansion revealed that this collection was a Ming-era engraving based on a Song-era copy presented to Zhu Qianzhu, the Shu Prince, by Emperor Taizu of Ming when he was enfeoffed in Lanzhou. This Ming-era engraved and reduced printing edition (published in 1990 by Shanghai Bookstore) and the 1991 photolithographic edition of The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing published by Beijing Ancient Books (using a Qing-era Wanli-era fine printing as the base) both excluded Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy. Additionally, the 1988 photolithographic edition of The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing published by China Bookstore also excluded Yan Zhenqing's works. The 1985 The Cunhua Gallery Rubbing with annotations published by Zhonghua Book Company (two volumes) also did not include any annotations of Yan Zhenqing's works. This confirms beyond doubt that The Gallery Rubbing excluded Yan Zhenqing.