Grasping Calligraphy through the Sword Dance, from the album Figures in Settings
Artist/Maker
Zhāng Hóng 张宏 / 張宏
(Chinese, 1577–1668)
Date1649
MediumAlbum leaf, ink and color on silk
DimensionsImage: 11 1/4 × 8 in. (28.6 × 20.3 cm)
Mount: 14 5/8 × 9 9/16 in. (37.1 × 24.3 cm)
Mount: 14 5/8 × 9 9/16 in. (37.1 × 24.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Carol S. Brooks in honor of her father, George J. Schlenker, and R. T. Miller Jr. Fund
PortfolioFigures in Settings
Object number1997.29.14I
Status
Not on viewTitle inscription: 舞劍悟書
A woman dances with two swords while a group of scholars watches. One, standing behind a table as if about to write on a scroll, has flung his brush into the air in amazement. The painting illustrates a story about the calligrapher Zhāng Xù 張旭 (act. 8th century), who was renowned for a particularly expressive form of writing known as “wild cursive.” Zhāng Xù once saw the famous sword dance of the Lady Gōngsūn 公孫大娘 and—inspired by her graceful and powerful movements—brought his calligraphy to greater artistic heights.
Zhāng Xù was also one of the “elegant, dissolute, chivalrous, or unusual characters” that the painter Zhāng Hóng referred to in the introduction to the album that contains this work—one of a group of Tang dynasty poets, artists, and scholars known as the “Eight Immortals of Drinking” (飲中八仙 yǐnzhōng bāxīan).
ProvenanceDr. George J. Schlenker, Piedmont, California ¹ ² ³; by descent to Carol S. Brooks, Alameda, CA ⁴; by partial gift and purchase 1997 to Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH
Notes:
[1] Identifying the two collector's seals will help to determine prior history
[2] Selected and purchased by James Cahill, Professor of Art History, University of California, Berkeley, on behalf of his step-father George J. Schlenker
[3] Stored at the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, where it was exhibited and used as a teaching aid by Professor James Cahill
[4] Daughter of George J. SchlenkerExhibition History
A woman dances with two swords while a group of scholars watches. One, standing behind a table as if about to write on a scroll, has flung his brush into the air in amazement. The painting illustrates a story about the calligrapher Zhāng Xù 張旭 (act. 8th century), who was renowned for a particularly expressive form of writing known as “wild cursive.” Zhāng Xù once saw the famous sword dance of the Lady Gōngsūn 公孫大娘 and—inspired by her graceful and powerful movements—brought his calligraphy to greater artistic heights.
Zhāng Xù was also one of the “elegant, dissolute, chivalrous, or unusual characters” that the painter Zhāng Hóng referred to in the introduction to the album that contains this work—one of a group of Tang dynasty poets, artists, and scholars known as the “Eight Immortals of Drinking” (飲中八仙 yǐnzhōng bāxīan).
New Acquisitions, 1996-1997
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 10, 1998 - March 22, 1998 )
A Century of Asian Art at Oberlin: Chinese Paintings
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (June 6, 2017 - December 10, 2017 )
Collections
- Asian
The AMAM continually researches its collection and updates its records with new findings.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
