Wang Xizhi's Seventeen Notes

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Wang Xizhi is known as the eternal calligrapher sage of China, and the "Seventeen Notes" is a representative work of his cursive script. In the earliest recorded records of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, the "Essential Records of Calligraphy" by Tang Dynasty scholar Zhang Yanyuan in Volume 10 of the "Right Military Correspondence," the "Seventeen Notes" is listed as the most important piece: "The 'Seventeen Notes' is twelve feet long, which is the inner copy from the Zhenguan era. It consists of 107 lines and 943 characters, making it a renowned and celebrated piece. Emperor Taizong of Tang sought out the works of Wang Xizhi and Wang Da (Wang Xizhi's older brother) had three thousand sheets, usually rolled into scrolls of twelve feet each. The 'Seventeen Notes' was named so because the first character of the scroll reads 'Seventeenth Day.'" The content of the "Seventeen Notes" mostly discusses the scenery and figures of Shu, as it is a letter from Wang Xizhi to Zhou Fu, the governor of. Zhou Fu was a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, known as, who spent over thirty years in Shu. Wang Xizhi once intended to travel to Shu and climb Mount Min but did not succeed. In these notes, one can see Wang Xizhi's deep interest in the people and history of Sichuan. This brilliant and celebrated masterpiece in the history of calligraphy is indispensable for copying and authentication. It completely collects the title records and inscriptions of rare stone inscriptions and rubbings, authentically reproducing the subtle spiritual essence of the original carvings and rubbings! The "Seventeen Notes of Wang Xizhi" is the first full-size, full-color printing. The "Seventeen Notes" has been revered through the ages as a model of cursive script and is known as the "ultimate method" for practicing cursive script. This piece is an old Song Dynasty rubbing preserved by Zhang Boying, a first-class national cultural relic, and is considered the finest extant copy.