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Artist: Zheng Xie (1693-1765)
Date: Qing (1644-1911)
Material: Ink on paper
Zheng Xie (1693-1765) is also known by his zi (designated name) Kerou and his hao (literary name) Banqiao. A native of Xinghua (in present-day Taizhou, Jiangsu province), he became a jinshi (a successful candidate of the imperial examination) in the first year (1736) of the Qianlong reign. He was the Mayor of Wei county. As one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou", he was adept at calligraphy and painting. His "liufenban script" was characterized by brushstrokes alternating between oblique and upright, showing a painterly quality. He recorded his experience in Yangzhou, where the prevailing esteem for literati enabled painters and calligraphers to support themselves through selling works. He also recalled the "Songjiang honey-colored patterned letter paper", which originated from the "Tan letter paper" of Ming-dynasty Songjiang. This paper was highly valued by Dong Qichang and Chen Jiru, and became widely available in the marketplace. Together with the Huzhou brush and the Ziduan inkstone, this kind of paper proves the prosperity of material culture in the Jiangnan region.
