91. Dong Qichang’s regular script of the handscroll An Epigraph in Praise of Mount Yanran of the Ming Dynasty

Silk scroll. Regular script. 38.3cm in height, 805cm in width.

This scroll is written in regular script by Dong Qichang, with three structure-lengthened characters  in each line. The piece imitated the small regular script of An Epigraph in Praise of Mount Yanran (written by Mi Fu) by magnifying the small regular script and turning it into a semi-cursive script in the 39th year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1611 A.D.), reflecting Dong Qichang’s calligraphy achievements in this period. 

As the currently available data shows, Dong Qichang has created three versions of Lin Mi’s “Yan Ran Shan Ming” volumes, which is now part of the Capital Museum collection. In addition, there are also two semi-cursive script scrolls housed at the Shanghai Museum and Liaoning Provincial Museum. The Shanghai Museum Collection (Shanghai 1-1426) currently has the smallest one, measuring 26.6 cm in height and 261.1 cm in width; while the Liaoning Provincial Museum (Liaoning 1-241) has the largest one, measuring 52.7 cm in height and 736 cm in width. 

The regular script of the handscroll of An Epigraph in Praise of Mount Yanran housed at the Capital Museum is a creative piece of imitation calligraphy work. It not only embodies the “integration and innovation” of the original work, but also reflects the success of Dong Qichang’s attempt to “magnify the small Chinese character” and turn the original small regular script into a semi-cursive script. As a work imbued with Dong Qichang’s personal style, it has the unique calligraphic aesthetic characteristics of “naturalness” and “plain elegance”. This scroll was once collected by Gao Shiqi and recorded in the Shih-ch'u Pac-chi.