Zhao Ji's Cursive Calligraphy of the Thousand Characters--Selections of Ink Rubbings by Famous Artists of Past Generations (26)

Author: (Song) Zhao Ji
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In the year 1122, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji, wrote this scroll of the "Thousand Characters" in cursive script. This scroll of (unrestrained cursive script) follows the style of Huai Su's, spanning several zhang (Chinese units of length) and executed in one continuous flow without any hesitation, creating a spectacular display. In the "Gengzi Xiaxia Lü" (Record of Summer Relics Disposed of in the Geng Year), the scholar Sun Chengze of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties noted: "Emperor Huizong's 'Thousand Characters' in calligraphy follows Huai Su." Contemporary calligraphy and painting appraiser Yang Renkai remarked: "This scroll of cursive script is bizarre and extraordinary, varying in size. Some resemble a flying monkey leaping through trees or an agile dragon diving into water; some are connected or disconnected, like flowers scattering in the air; some resemble a withered pine resting on a high ridge or a massive stone reclining in a deep gorge; some are like birds taking flight from the forest or snakes sneaking into the grass." The inscription at the end of the scroll is dated to the Xuanhe Renyin year, which coincides with Zhao Ji turning forty. This work is a mature creation by Zhao Ji during his prime. The scroll measures 35.1 cm in height and 1,172 cm in width, with 99 lines of text, written on gold-leafed dragon-pattern paper. This scroll has passed through the hands of collectors such as the Jin Changming imperial collection, the Southern Song minister Jia Sidao, the Ming Jinfu imperial collection, Xiang Yuanbian, and the Qing Liang Qingbiao, and is now preserved in the Liaoning Provincial Museum. This book is one volume in the "Selection of Calligraphy by Famous Masters of Past Generations," featuring Zhao Ji's scroll, which is available for collection and appreciation by calligraphy enthusiasts.