Selection of Calligraphy by Famous Artists Through the Ages -- Qing Wang Duo Running Script: Record of Mount Emei

Author: Wang Duo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Wang Duo (1592–1652), a calligrapher of the early Qing Dynasty. His courtesy name was Jiesi, and his style name was Songqiao. He was from Mengjin, Henan. He passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Ming Tianqi reign and was appointed as a Hanlin compiler and a lecturer at the Imperial Academy. In the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign, he was appointed as Minister of Rites, but did not take the position, as the Qing army had captured Beijing. Later, he served as Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion during the Hongguang era of the Southern Ming. In the third year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, he joined the Qing court as a deputy compiler of the Ming Shi (History of the Ming Dynasty). He later became the Left Vice Minister and Minister of Rites. He died in the ninth year of the Shunzhi reign and was posthumously honored as Wen'an. He was skilled in running and cursive calligraphy, drawing heavily on the styles of Yan Zhenqing and Mi Fu, with strong brushwork. He advocated learning from the ancient masters, setting himself apart from the calligraphic styles of his time. He was also capable of painting landscapes, orchids, and bamboo. His works include the Nishanyuan Tie () and others, which have been passed down. The Qing Shi Gu (Draft History of the Qing Dynasty), Volume 79, contains a biography of him.