Sui people's book on the Lotus Sutra

Author: Shanghai Shuhua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-08-01
Features: This volume contains the "Grant of Authority" (Chapter 6) and the "Parable of the Splendid City" (Chapter 7) from the Lotus Sutra. It is an item that scattered from the Mogao Cave Library in Dunhuang during the late Qing Dynasty. From the late Qing Dynasty to the founding of the People's Republic of China, it underwent several transfers of ownership and is now preserved at Shanghai Duyun Gallery. This scroll was mounted in traditional style before its separation from the Mogao Cave Library. It consists of twenty single-layer writing papers joined together. The beginning section contains a packet of plant stems resembling reed, and the tail section has a yellow mulberry wood scroll axis. The lengths of each paper vary, with the longer ones mostly measuring 458 mm and the shorter ones only 82 mm. The entire scroll is 7739 mm long, with the heading measuring 204 mm, the writing section 7453 mm, and the tail 82 mm. The papers in the writing section are thick and soft, with long fibers, solid yet resilient, smooth on the surface, uniform, and without weave when viewed through transmitted light. The ink does not through to the back of the paper, and the color is, dyed with yellow root juice at the time. The calligraphy is dark and glossy like lacquer. The writing section is decorated with a light ink black silk margin, 201 mm high, with margins spaced between 16 mm and 20 mm. Each margin contains one line of scripture. The beginning and tail sections do not bear the name of the calligrapher or the date of writing. The script is regular and stylish, with each stroke lively and elegant, full of charm and vitality, flowing throughout with energy and a rhythm of vigor and brightness. This scroll was appraised by the ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy review team and determined to have been written by someone during the Ming Dynasty. Today, the scroll has been cut into 46-page layouts according to its original size and printed in color, presented to the readers.