English
Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru
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
- 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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