Chinese Calligraphy Collection 52

Author: Rongbaozhai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-02
Features: ig">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. Official Volumes; 2. Calligrapher Volumes. Each volume is categorized by era and included in ten sections, with additional sections for Seal Engraving, Treatises, Appendices, and Supplements. The volumes include works, primarily referring to unsigned oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, bamboo slips, silk manuscripts, pottery and brick inscriptions, steles, epitaphs, carved stones, cliff carvings, sculptures, and Buddhist manuscripts from the Song Dynasty and earlier. These works are classified and dated after categorization. The Calligrapher 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 or numerous calligraphers from a specific era. The table of contents for each volume, except for the preface and general index, is organized according to the two types of volume structure. The volumes include: color reproductions of artifacts or selected pages from rubbing copies, general introductions and specialized discussions, plate illustrations of works, annotations of works, chronologies, diagrams showing the distribution of artifact and work discoveries, main reference bibliographies and literature, and plate indexes. The Calligrapher Volumes include: portraits of calligraphers (Class A volumes), color reproductions of calligraphy albums or selected works, biographical evaluations and specialized discussions of calligraphers, general introductions to calligraphy of a specific era (Class C volumes), plate illustrations of works, annotations of works, selected annotations of calligraphers' theories, chronologies of calligraphers, diagrams showing the calligraphers' movements, main reference bibliographies, and plate indexes. In Class A calligrapher volumes, supplementary volumes feature relatives and personally instructed disciples of the calligrapher to clarify their mutual influences. The Appendices section includes: A Chronology of Chinese Calligraphy (with name index and work index), A Brief Illustrated History of Calligraphy in Ethnic Minority Scripts, A Brief Illustrated History of Overseas Calligraphy, and A Brief Illustrated History of the Four Treasures of the Study. Several supplementary volumes are included to classify important works that could not be accommodated or were overlooked during the compilation process. The maps in each volume are based on the 《China Historical Atlas》 edited by Tan Qixiang. The entire book is printed in traditional characters to avoid confusion between ancient and modern scripts.