Tang Huai Su's True Manuscript of Self-Portrait Scroll

Author: Editorial Board of Selected Calligraphic Works from Ancient Inscriptions and Steles
Publisher:
Publication Date: October 1, 1986
Features: Huai Su, styled Zangzhen, was a native of Changsha, Hunan. Legend has it that he was born in the 13th year of the Kaiguan era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (725 AD) and died in the first year of the Zhenyuan era of Emperor Dezong (785 AD). He was a renowned calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Originally surnamed Qian, he entered monastic life in his childhood and was once a disciple of the renowned monk Xuanzang. Tang Huai Su Zixutie is a paper scroll. The scroll measures 28.3 cm in height and 75 cm in width, with a total of 126 lines. The first six lines are damaged and were later supplemented by Su Shunqing of the Song Dynasty. This scroll is one of Huai Su's representative works and also one of the key works in the history of Chinese calligraphy. It is recorded in many books such as Ba Zhang Dai Fang Lu and Shu Shi. At the end of the scroll, Huai Su inscribed "the 12th year of the Dali era," which corresponds to 777 AD. The entire scroll is written in cursive script with a magnificent and dynamic style, where each character seems to fly. The round and smooth brushwork is exquisite and almost divine, blending the techniques of seal script while innovating. As discussed in Shuhua Tibei Ji (Records of Calligraphy and Painting Inscriptions): "Huai Su's excellence lies in his unrestrained and eccentric brushwork, which undergoes a thousand transformations yet never deviates from the rules of the Wei and Jin dynasties." The content of the Zixutie is a self-narrative by Huai Su about his experience in writing cursive script. It is now published as a (photographic reproduction) of the original held by the Palace Museum, providing a reference for calligraphy enthusiasts to study and practice. The original is currently preserved in the Palace Museum in Taipei.