Couplet
Date1942
Label TextThe couplet was written for Chang Ch'ung-ho in 1942 when they met in Chongqing, the temporary site of the Chinese capital during the Sino-Japanese war (1937-45). This couplet comprises excerpts from two fifth-century poems, which were composed by Xie Lingyun (385-433) and Xie Tiao (464-499). The poems allude to the departure from the mundane world through captivating imagery of nature. Xie Lingyun's excerpt reads, "Begin with playing the Yanlu song [a folk song], one chats late into the evening." And the verse by Xie Tiao: "With wine by the pond, one listens to the qin-zither in the wind." Influenced by the classical traditions of calligraphy, Shen demonstrates exceptional precision and care in the execution of strokes and character structures. This example is among the best couplets in regular script.
Object number2010.9.1.1-.2
ProvenanceCh'ung-ho Chang Frankel, New Haven, CT, to 2009
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Terratopia: The Chinese Landscape in Painting and Film, July 2, 2016 - Feb. 26, 2017.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022 [on view Jan. 8 - Sept. 20, 2020].Published ReferencesC.f., Shanghai Calligraphers Association, ed, Haipai daibiao shufajia xilie zuopin ji--Shen Yinmo (Shanghai: Shanghai Shuhua chubanshe, 2006)Credit LineGift of Chang Ch'ung-ho and Hans Frankel from their collection
DimensionsOverall: 54 x 9 5/8 in. (137.2 x 24.4 cm)
MediumInk on paper
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