博
Artist: Lu Shen (1477-1544)
Date: Ming (1368-1644)
Material: Ink on paper
Lu Shen (1477-1544), also known by his zi (designated name) Ziyuan and hao (literary name) Yanshan, was a native of Shanghai. He was a historian, calligrapher, connoisseur-collector, and writer. The present-day Lujiazui area in Pudong is named after his former residence and ancestral cemeteries. He became a jinshi (a successful candidate of the imperial examination) in the eighteenth year (1505) of the Hongzhi reign and held important positions including Chief of Zhanshifu (an institution overseeing the crown prince's household), with the posthumous title Wenyu. Lu Shen was a leading figure of the "Songjiang School Calligraphy" in the mid-Ming dynasty, linking the style of "Two Shens" of the early Ming and later earning the admiration of Dong Qichang. The Qing dynasty calligrapher Wang Wenzhi once remarked that Lu's calligraphy "paved the way for Dong Qichang". This piece is elegant and undulating, rigorously following formal principles. It transcribes the Tang dynasty poet Wei Yingwu's poem In Response to Minister Liu.
