Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy (64): Qing Dynasty - Gong Xian, Zhu Da, Gong Qinggao, Shi Tao

Author: Rongbaozhai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-03-22
Features: [Editor's Recommendation] The Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy spans from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the contemporary era, comprising one hundred and eight volumes. The volumes are divided into two major categories: 1. Period-specific volumes; 2. Master-specific volumes. Each volume is organized into ten sections based on the era, with additional sections for Seal Carving, Treatises, Appendices, and Supplements. The collection features over thirty thousand prints of exquisite calligraphy works from Chinese history, preserved worldwide, accompanied by over twenty million words of scholarly essays and annotations. Many of the illustrations are published for the first time. Each volume includes: biographies of calligraphers (or period-specific discussions), illustrations, calligrapher's theories, chronological tables, maps of the calligrapher's life and travels, explanations and annotations of illustrations, and bibliographies. This book is not merely an artistic atlas but represents an unprecedented comprehensive, research, and introduction to the traditional Chinese art of calligraphy—spanning thousands of years of cultural heritage—following the Chunhua Gallery Cuts of the Song Dynasty and the Three Rare Rooms Calligraphy Collection of the Qing Dynasty. Such a thorough, systematic, in-depth, and meticulous study of an art form is rare not only in China but also in academic circles worldwide. This book holds immense value for calligraphy experts, researchers, enthusiasts, and collectors. The calligraphy works collected in this book span from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the contemporary era, totaling over one hundred volumes. The volumes are divided into two major categories: 1. Period-specific volumes; 2. Master-specific volumes. Each volume is organized into ten sections based on the era, with additional sections for Seal Carving, Treatises, Appendices, and Supplements. Period-specific volumes include works such as oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, bamboo slips, silk documents, pottery and brick inscriptions, steles, epitaphs, carved stones, cliff carvings, sculptures, and Buddhist manuscripts, primarily from the Song Dynasty and earlier periods. These works are classified and organized chronologically. Master-specific volumes are divided into three types: Class A volumes feature works by a single calligrapher; Class B volumes feature works by two to four calligraphers; Class C volumes feature works by multiple calligraphers from a specific period. The table of contents for each volume, excluding the preface and general index, follows the two categories of volume organization. Period-specific volumes include: color illustrations of artifacts or rubbings, general and specialized discussions, illustrations of works, explanations and annotations of illustrations, chronological tables, maps showing the distribution of artifact and work discoveries, main reference bibliographies and literature, and an index of illustrations. Master-specific volumes include: portraits of calligraphers (Class A volumes), color illustrations of calligraphy albums or selected works, biographies and specialized discussions of calligraphers, general discussions of calligraphy from specific periods (Class C volumes), illustrations of works, explanations and annotations of works, selected theories of calligraphers, chronological tables of calligraphers, maps of calligraphers' life and travels, main reference bibliographies, and an index of illustrations. In Class A master-specific volumes, supplementary volumes feature the calligrapher's relatives and personally instructed disciples to clarify mutual influences. The Appendices include: A Chronological Record of Chinese Calligraphy (with name index and work index), A Brief Illustrated History of Calligraphy in Minority Scripts, A Brief Illustrated History of Calligraphy Abroad, and A Brief Illustrated History of the Four Treasures of the Study. Several supplementary volumes compile important works that could not be included in the main sections. The maps in each volume are based on The Historical Atlas of China, edited by Tan Qixiang. The entire book is printed in traditional Chinese characters to avoid confusion between ancient and modern scripts.