Five-character Truncated Verse

Five-character Truncated Verse

• Image Number: K2B000508N000000000PAA
• Dynasty: Ming dynasty
• Category: Calligraphic works
• Author: Dong Qichang;董其昌
• Form: 軸
• Exhibition dimension: 76.1×35.5
• Description:
  This cursive scroll has no chronology. However, it is inferred from the inscription “Zhizhigongdian Lecturer” that it was from the time when he was the first speaker of the emperor to the time when he obtained a higher title, that is, from the 22nd year of Wanli (1594) to the second year of Tianqi (1622). This scroll is a copy of Tang Wei Yingwu’s poem (737-792), “Sending to the 22nd Councillor Qiu on an autumn night”: “Huai Jun belongs to the autumn night. Walking and chanting the cool sky. Pine nuts fall in the mountain sky, and you should not sleep.” However, in the last sentence, “should” was written as “special”, perhaps due to a clerical error. Although it is a cursive work, it is rigorous in writing, and its structure is also stable. The lines turn round and vigorous, and the ink color is dry and thick. It presents a classical and elegant style of writing, which is different from the writing style of other calligraphers in the late Ming Dynasty who pursue crazy situations.