Liu Hanbi’s script and Zeng Gong’s posthumous manuscript volume

[Liu Hanbi’s running script, Zeng Gong’s posthumous argumentation script]

Zeng Gong’s posthumous argumentation script, Song Dynasty, Liu Hanbi’s script, paper version, hand scroll, 35 cm vertically, 97.5 cm horizontally, running script, 33 lines, 623 words
There are poems and postscripts written by Yuan and Han Xing, Huang Jin, Wei Su, Zhou Boqi, Sheng Jingnian, Wei Ji and Zhang Jujie of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yixiu of the Qing Dynasty, Hu Ruying, Xu Zhengshou and Hu Yimin. The four characters of “Xiangong Handze” in Zhang Wenyuan’s running script of the Ming Dynasty were cited
Zeng Gong, a famous litterateur in the Northern Song Dynasty, died without a posthumous title because of his low official position, and only pursued the posthumous title “Wending” in the Southern Song Dynasty. This volume is a draft written by Liu Hanbi for Zeng Gong’s posthumous title when he was a member of the imperial examination committee. It affirms Zeng Gong’s important role in the field of literature in the Song Dynasty, and points out that “because the official position is inferior to the posthumous title, there will be a loss of justice”. Compared with the ancestors, both the name and the text are obvious, so the posthumous title is added. This manuscript has been kept in his family for a long time. In the Yuan Dynasty, Liu’s descendants stated that this volume was “the handwriting of the Xiangong”, and then it was clearly identified as the handwriting of Liu Hanbi
The calligraphy of Zeng Gongshi’s Commentary is elegant and dignified, with obvious side and horizontal posture. It has the posture of Su Shi lying down, and is a rare precious ink of Liu Hanbi.