#Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion

[vanilla-envelope]

forbidden city

In the Pavilion of the Purification Ceremony, there is a twisting water channel measuring twenty-seven metres long. It was designed in accordance with the verse of "a twisting water channel for floating wine cup and enjoying the drinking festival" in The Preface for the Orchid Pavilion Gathering written by Wang Xizhi of the Jin dynasty(265-420). Modelling himself on Wang Xizhi, the Emperor and his ministers often sat along the channel composing poems and drinking.

[radwolf76]

It's a lovely morning during the Jin Dynasty in Shānyīn, Kuaiji, and you are a Horrible Helpful Goose.

Next on your “To Do” List:

Teach Wáng Xīzhī the secrets of how to turn one's wrist using your graceful goose neck so that he may go on to become regarded as the Sage of Calligraphy, the most acclaimed practitioner of that art in all of China's history.

[cma-chinese-art]

Purification at the Orchid Pavilion, Fan Yi, 1671, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

This painting records a historic event in the year AD 353. During the Spring Purification Festival on the third day of the third month in the Chinese calendar, 42 scholars gathered at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing in southeast China to compose poems and engage in a drinking contest. Wine cups were floated down a winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the one closest to the cup had to empty it and write a poem. At the end of the day, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi assembled 37 poems and wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering in his elegant script style. It became the most famous model for calligraphy in Chinese art history. Size: Image: 28.4 x 392.8 cm (11 3/16 x 154 5/8 in.); Overall: 29.8 x 763.3 cm (11 3/4 x 300 1/2 in.) Medium: handscroll, ink and color on silk

https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.47

[vlkphoto]

Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Scholars at the Lanting Pavilion .. [3.1 / 3.3]

Light green jade sculpture made in 1790, exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN.

The Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95) commissioned this jade boulder, apparently the largest piece of historic carved jade outside of China. It depicts a literary gathering of scholar-officials at Lanting, the Orchid Pavilion described in “Lanting jixu”, by Wang Xizhi (303–361), a scholar official and recognized as the greatest calligrapher of the Far East. The prose itself is carved on the front. The theme represented on this jade boulder, the largest piece of jade carving outside of China, refers to an event that occurred on March 3 in the lunar calendar of 353. Wang Xizhi, together with forty-one other renowned scholar-officials, gathered at Lanting, or Orchid, Pavilion in Shaoxing (in presend-day Zhejiang province), celebrating the Spring Purification Festival. The scholars engaged in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to drink it and write a poem. In the end, twenty-six of the participants composed thirty-seven poems. Emperor Qianlong’s own poem appears carved on the reverse. Wang Xizhi was asked to write an introduction to the collection of these poems. Written in semi-cursive script and known as the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion (transcribed on the top of the mountain by the Qianlong Emperor), it is the best known and most copied calligraphic work in art history. While the mountain image alone is enough to convey a close association between the jade sculpture and many painted landscapes, the Qianlong Emperor's seal and poem carved at the top on the other side of the boulder reinforces the idea of the jade mountain as a three-dimensional landscape painting.

[blogaboutasianart]

Wang Xizhi and Calligraphy

Just recently I found out that calligraphy is considered the best and most noble art form in China. I was aware that it was an art form that existed in many cultures, but honestly, I was kind of shocked to find that the Chinese hold it in such high regard. In my view calligraphy often just seems more like writing than art, so what makes it the undisputed best art form to the Chinese? As it turns out, there is some history behind writing in China that helps explain the value of calligraphy. Thousands of years ago Chinese characters were inscribed on the bones of turtles. These were perhaps the earliest examples of Chinese writing, and they were often used in divination rituals. Having a connection between those that knew how to write and these early sorts of religious practice has placed a special importance on the drawing and writing of Chinese characters even today. Additionally, it was intriguing to discover that many Chinese characters were originally pictographic. This means that they look similar to the idea that they are trying to represent. Although simplified modern Chinese characters have changed over the years, these pictographs can sometimes still be seen in many Chinese characters. In this way, calligraphy becomes much more like drawing a picture than simply just writing a word. Perhaps this is why it is considered such a noble art form. Oddly enough not only is calligraphy considered to be the best art form in China, but there is also one individual who is considered the best calligrapher. This calligrapher is Wang Xizhi ( 王羲之), he lived during the Jin dynasty and sadly none of his original works still remain today. Only copies of his work keep it alive, but luckily these copies use tracing which make them very accurate depictions for what Wang Xizhi’s original calligraphy would have actually looked like. He became especially famous for what is known as semi-cursive script. This is similar to cursive or writing something quickly in English. Perhaps Wang Xizhi’s most celebrated and popular work is his Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion. This work was an especially beautiful introduction to the work of many popular poets during this dynasty. There is a popularized story that Wang Xizhi learned to move his wrist so perfectly when writing from watching the way geese move their necks. This gave me an understanding of just how delicate and precise calligraphy truly is. Oddly enough Wang Xizhi’s son Wang Xianzhi ( 王獻之), later became a well renowned calligrapher like his father. In the modern-day calligraphy is still an art form used in China, but it is looked as something classical and traditional. There will probably never be another Wang Xizhi, but calligraphy will always be an important and unique piece of the Chinese artistic sphere.

-Luke T

[cma-chinese-art]

Purification at the Orchid Pavilion, Fan Yi, 1671, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

This painting records a historic event in the year AD 353. During the Spring Purification Festival on the third day of the third month in the Chinese calendar, 42 scholars gathered at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing in southeast China to compose poems and engage in a drinking contest. Wine cups were floated down a winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the one closest to the cup had to empty it and write a poem. At the end of the day, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi assembled 37 poems and wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering in his elegant script style. It became the most famous model for calligraphy in Chinese art history. Size: Image: 28.4 x 392.8 cm (11 3/16 x 154 5/8 in.); Overall: 29.8 x 763.3 cm (11 3/4 x 300 1/2 in.) Medium: handscroll, ink and color on silk

https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.47

[cma-chinese-art]

Purification at the Orchid Pavilion, Fan Yi, 1671, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

This painting records a historic event in the year AD 353. During the Spring Purification Festival on the third day of the third month in the Chinese calendar, 42 scholars gathered at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing in southeast China to compose poems and engage in a drinking contest. Wine cups were floated down a winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the one closest to the cup had to empty it and write a poem. At the end of the day, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi assembled 37 poems and wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering in his elegant script style. It became the most famous model for calligraphy in Chinese art history. Size: Image: 28.4 x 392.8 cm (11 3/16 x 154 5/8 in.); Overall: 29.8 x 763.3 cm (11 3/4 x 300 1/2 in.) Medium: handscroll, ink and color on silk

https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.47

[cma-chinese-art]

Purification at the Orchid Pavilion, Fan Yi, 1671, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

This painting records a historic event in the year AD 353. During the Spring Purification Festival on the third day of the third month in the Chinese calendar, 42 scholars gathered at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing in southeast China to compose poems and engage in a drinking contest. Wine cups were floated down a winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the one closest to the cup had to empty it and write a poem. At the end of the day, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi assembled 37 poems and wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering in his elegant script style. It became the most famous model for calligraphy in Chinese art history. Size: Image: 28.4 x 392.8 cm (11 3/16 x 154 5/8 in.); Overall: 29.8 x 763.3 cm (11 3/4 x 300 1/2 in.) Medium: handscroll, ink and color on silk

https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.47

[vlkphoto]

Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Scholars at the Lanting Pavilion .. [3.3 / 3.3]

Light green jade sculpture made in 1790, exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN.

The Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95) commissioned this jade boulder, apparently the largest piece of historic carved jade outside of China. It depicts a literary gathering of scholar-officials at Lanting, the Orchid Pavilion described in “Lanting jixu”, by Wang Xizhi (303–361), a scholar official and recognized as the greatest calligrapher of the Far East. The prose itself is carved on the front. The theme represented on this jade boulder, the largest piece of jade carving outside of China, refers to an event that occurred on March 3 in the lunar calendar of 353. Wang Xizhi, together with forty-one other renowned scholar-officials, gathered at Lanting, or Orchid, Pavilion in Shaoxing (in presend-day Zhejiang province), celebrating the Spring Purification Festival. The scholars engaged in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to drink it and write a poem. In the end, twenty-six of the participants composed thirty-seven poems. Emperor Qianlong’s own poem appears carved on the reverse. Wang Xizhi was asked to write an introduction to the collection of these poems. Written in semi-cursive script and known as the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion (transcribed on the top of the mountain by the Qianlong Emperor), it is the best known and most copied calligraphic work in art history. While the mountain image alone is enough to convey a close association between the jade sculpture and many painted landscapes, the Qianlong Emperor's seal and poem carved at the top on the other side of the boulder reinforces the idea of the jade mountain as a three-dimensional landscape painting.

[vlkphoto]

Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Scholars at the Lanting Pavilion .. [3.2 / 3.3]

Light green jade sculpture made in 1790, exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN.

The Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95) commissioned this jade boulder, apparently the largest piece of historic carved jade outside of China. It depicts a literary gathering of scholar-officials at Lanting, the Orchid Pavilion described in “Lanting jixu”, by Wang Xizhi (303–361), a scholar official and recognized as the greatest calligrapher of the Far East. The prose itself is carved on the front. The theme represented on this jade boulder, the largest piece of jade carving outside of China, refers to an event that occurred on March 3 in the lunar calendar of 353. Wang Xizhi, together with forty-one other renowned scholar-officials, gathered at Lanting, or Orchid, Pavilion in Shaoxing (in presend-day Zhejiang province), celebrating the Spring Purification Festival. The scholars engaged in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to drink it and write a poem. In the end, twenty-six of the participants composed thirty-seven poems. Emperor Qianlong’s own poem appears carved on the reverse. Wang Xizhi was asked to write an introduction to the collection of these poems. Written in semi-cursive script and known as the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion (transcribed on the top of the mountain by the Qianlong Emperor), it is the best known and most copied calligraphic work in art history. While the mountain image alone is enough to convey a close association between the jade sculpture and many painted landscapes, the Qianlong Emperor's seal and poem carved at the top on the other side of the boulder reinforces the idea of the jade mountain as a three-dimensional landscape painting.

[vlkphoto]

Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Scholars at the Lanting Pavilion .. [2 / 3]

Light green jade sculpture made in 1790, exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN.

The Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95) commissioned this jade boulder, apparently the largest piece of historic carved jade outside of China. It depicts a literary gathering of scholar-officials at Lanting, the Orchid Pavilion described in “Lanting jixu”, by Wang Xizhi (303–361), a scholar official and recognized as the greatest calligrapher of the Far East. The prose itself is carved on the front. The theme represented on this jade boulder, the largest piece of jade carving outside of China, refers to an event that occurred on March 3 in the lunar calendar of 353. Wang Xizhi, together with forty-one other renowned scholar-officials, gathered at Lanting, or Orchid, Pavilion in Shaoxing (in presend-day Zhejiang province), celebrating the Spring Purification Festival. The scholars engaged in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to drink it and write a poem. In the end, twenty-six of the participants composed thirty-seven poems. Emperor Qianlong’s own poem appears carved on the reverse. Wang Xizhi was asked to write an introduction to the collection of these poems. Written in semi-cursive script and known as the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion (transcribed on the top of the mountain by the Qianlong Emperor), it is the best known and most copied calligraphic work in art history. While the mountain image alone is enough to convey a close association between the jade sculpture and many painted landscapes, the Qianlong Emperor's seal and poem carved at the top on the other side of the boulder reinforces the idea of the jade mountain as a three-dimensional landscape painting.

[vlkphoto]

Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Scholars at the Lanting Pavilion .. [1 / 3]

Light green jade sculpture made in 1790, exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN.

The Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95) commissioned this jade boulder, apparently the largest piece of historic carved jade outside of China. It depicts a literary gathering of scholar-officials at Lanting, the Orchid Pavilion described in “Lanting jixu”, by Wang Xizhi (303–361), a scholar official and recognized as the greatest calligrapher of the Far East. The prose itself is carved on the front. The theme represented on this jade boulder, the largest piece of jade carving outside of China, refers to an event that occurred on March 3 in the lunar calendar of 353. Wang Xizhi, together with forty-one other renowned scholar-officials, gathered at Lanting, or Orchid, Pavilion in Shaoxing (in presend-day Zhejiang province), celebrating the Spring Purification Festival. The scholars engaged in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to drink it and write a poem. In the end, twenty-six of the participants composed thirty-seven poems. Emperor Qianlong’s own poem appears carved on the reverse. Wang Xizhi was asked to write an introduction to the collection of these poems. Written in semi-cursive script and known as the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion (transcribed on the top of the mountain by the Qianlong Emperor), it is the best known and most copied calligraphic work in art history. While the mountain image alone is enough to convey a close association between the jade sculpture and many painted landscapes, the Qianlong Emperor's seal and poem carved at the top on the other side of the boulder reinforces the idea of the jade mountain as a three-dimensional landscape painting.

[cma-chinese-art]

Purification at the Orchid Pavilion, Fan Yi, 1671, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

This painting records a historic event in the year AD 353. During the Spring Purification Festival on the third day of the third month in the Chinese calendar, 42 scholars gathered at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing in southeast China to compose poems and engage in a drinking contest. Wine cups were floated down a winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the one closest to the cup had to empty it and write a poem. At the end of the day, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi assembled 37 poems and wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering in his elegant script style. It became the most famous model for calligraphy in Chinese art history. Size: Image: 28.4 x 392.8 cm (11 3/16 x 154 5/8 in.); Overall: 29.8 x 763.3 cm (11 3/4 x 300 1/2 in.) Medium: handscroll, ink and color on silk

https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.47