博
Artist: Qian Fu (1461-1504), Shi Bao (1464-1528), Qiao Zong, et al.
Date: Dated 1492, Ming (1368-1644)
Material: Ink on paper
Qian Fu (1461-1504), also known by his zi (designated name) Yuqian and hao (literary name) Hetan, was a native of Huating (in present-day Songjiang, Shanghai). He was a descendant of Qian Liu of the Wu-Yue State and was the zhuangyuan (first scorer in the imperial examination) in the third year (1490) of the Hongzhi reign. He was renowned for his poetry, artwork collection, and calligraphy. His calligraphic style is clear, vigorous, and unrestrained. This scroll was written in the fifth year (1492) of the Hongzhi reign. One night, the literary leader Li Dongyang gathered his disciples of the Chaling School to discuss aspirations, during which they composed and inscribed poems. The works were in regular, running, and cursive scripts. All inherited Li Dongyang's style, and had already developed a new calligraphic style that started to depart from the taige script (Secretariat style). Li's poetry and calligraphy championed stylistic refinement, heralding the literary and artistic reforms of the mid-Ming dynasty.
