Ming Tu Songjiang Edition: Imperial Portrait

Author: Wang Haoming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Huang Xiang, born in Guangling Jiangdu (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu), had an unknown birth and death year. A calligrapher of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, he was known by the courtesy name Xiuming and held the position of Attendant at the Court. From a young age, he was skilled in calligraphy and studied under Du Duo. He excelled in Seal script, Clerical script, and Cao Cao's script (Zhangcao), earning the title of "Sage of Calligraphy." His calligraphy was praised alongside Yan Wu's Go, Cao Bu's painting, and other masterpieces as the "Eight Perfections." His calligraphy was hailed as "unparalleled among Chinese calligraphers." He learned from others' styles, incorporating the strengths of each to forge his own distinctive style. Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty praised him in his Baopuzi as "a master of calligraphy for his generation." Yang Xin of the Southern Dynasties of the Song Dynasty said, "The people of Wu, Huang Xiang, excelled in cursive script, renowned for its depth and expressiveness." Zhang Huaiwan of the Tang Dynasty ranked his Zhangcao as a "divine work," his Eight Cao as a "wonderful work," and his Seal script as a "competent work" in his Book of Calligraphy.
His surviving calligraphic works include the Wen Wu, Jiju Zhang, and the Tianfa Shenke Stele, all traditionally attributed to Huang Xiang. He also wrote a treatise on calligraphy titled On Cursive Script. Today, only the stone carving of the Jiju Zhang remains, traditionally attributed to Huang Xiang. There are several variations of this text, with the Songjiang Edition being the most famous. This scroll features concise, heavy, and subtle strokes, often blending the style of Clerical script. Its structure is meticulous, with strict adherence to rules. Overall, it exudes an ancient and gentle aura, profound yet expressive. For those who love Zhangcao, it serves as an excellent model for learning. Since Zhangcao is an early form of cursive script, by Huang Xiang's time, it had become highly mature and mastered by many calligraphers. His Jiju Zhang had already achieved a high degree of standardization. The transmitted of Huang Xiang's Jiju Zhang is the so-called Songjiang Edition, carved by Yang Zheng in the fourth year of the Zhengtong era (1439) based on the Yingchang edition of Ye Mengde of the Song Dynasty. Other ancient editions are no longer in circulation. The Songjiang Edition collected by Mr. Qi Gong is considered one of the best existing prints. The original stone of the Songjiang Edition is now housed in the Songjiang Museum of Shanghai.