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Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru

Calligrapher Huang Tingjian Chinese
ca. 1095
Not on view
Poet, calligrapher, and Chan (Zen) Buddhist adept, Huang Tingjian believed that calligraphy should be spontaneous and self-expressive—“a picture of the mind.” Containing nearly twelve hundred characters, this handscroll is a master­piece of cursive-script writing. It transcribes an account of a rivalry between two officials: Lian Po, a distinguished general; and Lin Xiangru, a skilled strategist. Huang’s transcription ends abruptly with Lin’s words: “When two tigers fight, one must perish. I behave as I do because I put our country’s fate before private feuds.” Read in the context of Song political infighting, Huang’s transcription becomes a powerful indictment of the partisanship that led to his own banishment in 1094.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 北宋　黃庭堅　草書廉頗藺相如傳　卷
  • Title: Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru
  • Calligrapher: Huang Tingjian (Chinese, 1045–1105)
  • Period: Northern Song dynasty (960–1127)
  • Date: ca. 1095
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Handscroll; ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 13 1/4 in. × 60 ft. 4 1/2 in. (33.7 × 1840.2 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 13 1/2 in. × 71 ft. 5 5/8 in. (34.3 × 2178.4 cm)
  • Classification: Calligraphy
  • Credit Line: Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
  • Object Number: 1989.363.4
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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7450. Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru

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