Poems

Calligrapher Chen Hongshou Chinese
undated
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
明 陳洪綬 行書詩翰 冊 紙本

Revered primarily as a painter of eccentric, stylized human figures, Chen Hongshou also created a rich oeuvre of calligraphy. In this album, he transcribed a set of his own poems for a close friend named Shen Yaozhang (d. 1666). The calligraphy is exemplary of the crisp elegance of his late style. Chen seems to have used a long, slender brush with a finely tapering tip to create the sharply pointed hooks and diagonal strokes. The characters are lively with a natural ease; they are expressive but never wild.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 明 陳洪綬 行書詩翰 冊 紙本
  • Title: Poems
  • Calligrapher: Chen Hongshou (Chinese, 1598/99–1652)
  • Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Date: undated
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Album; ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 12 1/2 × 12 1/8 in. (31.8 × 30.8 cm)
    Album: 15 × 7 1/4 × 1 3/8 in. (38.1 × 18.4 × 3.5 cm)
  • Classification: Calligraphy
  • Credit Line: Lent by Guanyuan Shanzhuang Collection
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art