This album preserves a group of poems written by the great art patron and critic Zhou Lianggong (1612–1672). Zhou was one of the key figures in the art scene of the mid-seventeenth century; he fostered contemporary painters and also wrote about their accomplishments. His critical writings on painting were published in 1673 under the title Duhua lu (A record of [The Pavilion] for viewing paintings), and they have been considered the essential source on seventeenth century painting ever since. This album preserves versions of some of the material that appears in Duhua lu, which makes it a source of signal importance for the study of Zhou Lianggong, the art scene he fostered, and his career as a critic.
Zhou was well regarded as a calligrapher. His signature style, evident throughout this album, features a juxtaposition of thin ligatures with blocky, angular lines to create a charmingly eccentric and somewhat raw effect. In this, Zhou was particularly influenced by the calligraphy of the Song dynasty (960–1279) Emperor Lizong (1205–64, r. 1224–64), who pioneered this style in the thirteenth century.
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Passing Yangqiu [in Jinan, Shandong Province] in Early Autumn, I Saw Xiqiao’s (Wang Shilu王士祿, 1626‒1673) Poem Written on the Wall of an Inn and Composed One on the Same Rhyme Scheme to Send to Yishang (Wang Shizhen 王士禎, Shilu’s younger brother, 1634‒1711) [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
Ascending the Terrace of Transcendence [Chaoran Tai, in Zhucheng, Shandong Province] to Gaze at Mt. Ma’er [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
A Monk from Mt. Wulian [in Rizhao, Shandong Province] Arrived in the Rain. We Talked about a Visit Together But Could Not Make It. [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
Gazing Southward from Chengyang [in Shandong], to Send to My Younger Brother Jinggong (Zhou Liangjie 周亮節, 1622‒1670) [The pair of regulated verses in seven-character line not translated]
It Is about to Snow at the Muling Pass [in Linyi, Shandong Province]. With Administrator for Public Order Liu Gongfan (Liu Maoxia 劉懋夏, b. 1623, jinshi 1655) I Composed the Poem Using Yanzhou’s (Wang Shizhen 王世貞, 1526‒1590) Rhyme Scheme. [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
While Passing Dongguan (Yishui, Shandong), Friends Talked about the Huazhi Si Temple as a Scenic Site in the Yi River Region. With Gongfan (Liu Maoxia) I Composed the Poem. [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
To Send to the Magistrate of Conghua [in Guangdong Province] Sun Sibai (Sun Sheng 孫繩, mid-17th c.). Sibai and I Parted Here about Twenty Years Ago.[4] [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
Inscribing the Wall of the Inn Following Xiqiao’s (Wang Shilu) Rhyme Scheme While Worrying about the Drought. [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
Reading Li Weiqing’s (Li Chengzhong 李澄中, 1629–1700) Poetry Collection, The Seagull, While Ill at the Lungs. At the Time He Gave Me an Inkstone from Duanzhou (Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province). [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
Tang Jingsan (Tang Pin 湯聘, jinshi 1661) Invited Deng Wanzi (Deng Shijie 鄧士傑, jinshi 1661) to Ascend Mt. Ping [Ping’an] to Watch the Shijiu Lake [in Nanjing at the border between Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces] Together. [The regulated verse in seven-character line not translated]
Unidentified Yaowang Qizhou jiudian yan 遙望齊州九點煙 Wuzi 吳子
[1] Translations by Shi-yee Liu.
[2] The Zhenyi Ting was the name of Zhou Lianggong’s studio when he served as Intendant of the Coastal Defense Circuit in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, between 1663 and 1666. The term “Zhenyi” may have come from the last couplet of the fifth of Tao Yuanming’s 陶淵明 (365‒427) “Twenty Poems After Drinking Wine” (Yinjiu ershi shou 飲酒二十首). The translation of “zhenyi” is from The Poetry of T’ao Ch’ien: Translated with Commentary and Annotation by James Robert Hightower. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970, p. 130.
[3] In chapter 10 of Zhou Lianggong’s collected writings, Laigu Tang ji 賴古堂集, the poem is titled “Ye guo Liu Yaosheng Changbai Cunzhuang 夜過劉藥生長白村莊.”
[4] Sun Sheng served as Magistrate of Conghua from 1659 to 1662. This poem by Zhou Lianggong should be composed during these years. Sun was a native of Zibo, Shandong Province, a neighboring district to Weixian, where Zhou served as Magistrate from 1641 to early 1644.
Li Qiyan 李啟嚴 (until d. 1984; his estate, 1984–1992; Fine Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy from the Li Family Qunyuzhai Collection 李氏羣玉齋藏書畵精品選, Christie’s, New York, December 2, 1992, lot 53, to Sydney L. Moss, Ltd. for Curtis); Julia and John Curtis , Williamsburg, VA (1992–2015; donated to MMA)
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