Couplet

ca. 1980

Chinese, 1902 - 1990

Born into a prominent family in Anhui province in southern China, Tai Jingnong was home-schooled at an early age by his father, reading classics and history and practicing calligraphy. He studied different styles of calligraphy, but specialized in running script as demonstrated in this work. The less restrained and fast execution of the brush leaves the white of the paper showing through each swift stroke. The effect of running script resonates with the meaning of this couplet, which reads: "All things are fleeting like autumn water; How many people can savor the fragrance of serenity?"

Ink on paper

Overall each: 39 x 14 3/4 in. (99.1 x 37.5cm)

Gift of Chang Ch'ung-ho and Hans Frankel from their collection

2010.9.5

Provenance: Ch'ung-ho Chang Frankel

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fragrance of the Past: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting by Ch'ung-ho Frankel and Friends, Jan. 14 - Apr. 2, 2006.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022 [on view Sept. 8, 2021 - Mar. 13, 2022].

Published ReferencesFragrance of the Past: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting by Ch'ung-ho Chang Frankel and Friends (Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 2006), cat. 29

C.f., Hanmo--Calligraphy of Famous Masters, vols. 19 and 20

C.f., Lin Wenyue. "Through upheaval and bloodshed: A short biography of Professor Tai Jingnong," Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews, vol. 28 (Dec 2006), pp. 213-225

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