Collection of interesting stories

Author: Tian Yuan, edited by Xiao Pei Cang, Chief Editor
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: Tian Yuan's brother is renowned both at home and abroad for his calligraphy and painting. He has also authored books as a sideline, and whenever he publishes fresh and elegant writings, contemporaries often associate him with the title of a calligrapher, painter, seal carver, and literary master—truly a quadruple perfection. Yet I still believe this does not fully capture his essence.
If one visits his study, one finds not only walls filled with calligraphy and paintings but also shelves of rare books, unique collections, ancient vases, and foreign jars. It’s like stepping into a treasure tower, dazzling and overwhelming the senses. Tian Yuan’s brother is clearly also a collector. Having lived in Qinhuai for many years, I have often had the privilege of visiting him for instruction and admiration his collections: the most valuable include famous person sculptures and Buddha statues; the least valuable, urine pots and broken utensils; the most refined, writing instruments and Han Dynasty figurines and Ming Dynasty bowls; the most commonplace, clay figurines, dolls, clay chickens, and pottery oxen. None are high-priced or top-tier works; they are all humble, worldly trinkets. Yet his artistic taste is truly beyond estimation—rare and extraordinary yet utterly ordinary.
These collections are the result of Tian Yuan’s brother’s chance encounters and serendipitous acquisitions over the decades, each with its own story. If described in detail, they would not only be a series of anecdotes but also a highlighted memoir of his artistic life.