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Wang Ao's running script calligraphy of "Ode to the Two Mountains of Dongting" and "Dialogue on the Goodness of Human Nature" from the Ming Dynasty

This is a large-scale calligraphy work in running script by Wang Ao, a prominent official and literary figure of the Ming Dynasty, around the age of 70. It combines his two representative works, "Ode to the Two Mountains of Dongting" and "The Dialogue on the Goodness of Nature".

Inheriting history

This scroll has a clear provenance and was once a treasured possession of the Jinmotang Collection. The end of the scroll contains numerous colophons by famous Ming and Qing dynasty calligraphers such as Dong Qichang, Fang Tinghu, Chen Xijing, Ye Daofen, and Lin Xiao. This work has appeared at the Poly Auction Autumn Auction and has been published in the "Jinmotang Calligraphy Series," with an extremely clear and complete lineage.

Academic background and publications

Both texts are included in Wang Ao's "Collected Works of Mr. Zhenze". "Ode to the Two Mountains of Dongting" is a famous work of fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poetry) from the Ming Dynasty, and "On the Goodness of Nature" directly influenced Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind. The entire scroll is nearly six meters long, and the calligraphy and the author are both mature and sophisticated. It blends the styles of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, and Huang Tingjian, and can correct errors in the published edition of "Collected Works of Mr. Zhenze", making it of extremely high academic value.

Authoritative verification

This scroll has been rigorously examined by experts and authoritative auction houses. It bears Wang Ao's signature and seals such as "Grand Scholar's Seal" at the beginning and end, which are consistent with the brushwork of the fragments in the collection of the Palace Museum. Furthermore, it was praised by Dong Qichang as "the learning of a caged goose family" and is generally recognized as a rare authentic masterpiece from Wang Ao's later years.

Detailed Interpretation | Wang Ao's Running Script Calligraphy of "Ode to the Two Mountains of Dongting Lake" and "Dialogue on the Goodness of Human Nature" from the Ming Dynasty

The picture shows a panoramic view of the nearly six-meter-long scroll, written in running script on paper with ink. The brushstrokes are unique, clear, and unrestrained, showing the grand style of Wang Ao in his later years, where both the person and the calligraphy have matured.

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