Ting-wu Version of the Lan-t'ing-hsu (Orchid Pavilion Preface)

Sung dynasty

Handscroll / ink on paper

Handscroll : 27.4 x 636.0cm (including postscript)

The T'ang Emperor T'ai-tsung, who had an extreme love for the calligraphy by Wang Hsi-chih, had Ou-yang Hsun's unequaled copy of the Lan-t'ing-hsu engraved on stone, and bestowed Imperial descendants and meritorious subjects with rubbings of the stone, which is said to be the Ting-wu version. This rubbing, formerly in the collection of K'o Chiu-ssu of the Yuan dynasty, is one of the treasures of the National Palace Museum. It is a consummate piece among rubbings of the Lan-t'ing-hsu, which is graceful yet strong, and is unsurpassed in all periods with its aged color of the ink.