A Temple Stele for Zhou the Daoist of the Song Dynasty
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.A native of Suzhou, Wu Dacheng passed the metropolitan civil-service examination in 1868 and subsequently served in a number of high government positions, including scholar in the Hanlin Academy, governor of Guangdong and Hunan Provinces, and director of border defense in the northeast. Wu avidly collected ancient bronzes, jades, and seals, and his interest in antiquities was partly inspired by his study of ancient scripts. Here, Wu has copied a large stone stele into the portable format of the album, in emulation of albums which achieved the same effect by cutting up large rubbings and remounting them.
Artwork Details
- Title: A Temple Stele for Zhou the Daoist of the Song Dynasty
- Artist: Wu Dacheng (Chinese, 1835–1902)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: dated 1895
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album of twenty-three leaves; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Each double leaf 9 1/8 x 11 1/2 in. (23.2 x 29.2 cm)
- Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Lent by H. Christopher Luce
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art