Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, copy by an artist in the Tang Dynasty
Tang (618-907)
Hand scroll, ink on silk
Height 24.5cm, Width 65.6cm
Collected in the early 1950s
This hand scroll was thought to be the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion (Lan Ting Xu) written under the name of Chu Suiliang. Investigations by experts have confirmed this piece of work to be a copy by an artist in the Tang Dynasty. This scroll and its counterparts show the artistic charm of calligraphic works by Wang Xizhi and show the calligraphic style of the early Tang Dynasty.
The test of this scroll comprises the complete Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, beneath this section on the last line of which there exist illegible characters carved in relief on a seal-‘fuyin’ and ‘ziyou’. In addition, the frontispiece of the scroll bears an inscription ‘treasure of ink’ (fragment) by Dong Qichang, a noted calligrapher and connoisseur in the Ming dynasty. In addition, some seals collected by Xiang Yuanbian, a famous calligrapher and connoisseur in the Ming dynasty, can be seen in the middle of the scroll. The end of the scroll has postscripts presented in succession by Xu Chu in the Ming Dynasty, and Wang Shu, He Tianjun, Tang Yujian, Gu Chun, Liang Zhangju, Liang Tongshu, Sun Xingyan, Shi Yunyu, Li Zuoxian and Han Chong in the Qing Dynasty.
深入探索
Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion is a famous calligraphic work by Wang Xizhi, composed in year 353. It is one of the most well-known and well-copied pieces of calligraphy in Chinese history. This work describes the event during that year’s Spring Purification Festival; in which, men of the elite gathered beside water to bathe – to wash away evil spirits. In 353, Wang invited his guests to the Orchid Pavilion on his estate at Zhuji in Zhejiang Province to compose poems, play music, and enjoy wine.
