Artist: Weng Tonghe (1830-1904)
Date: Qing (1644-1911)
Material: Ink on paper
Weng Tonghe (1830-1904), also known by his zi (designated name) Shuping and hao (literary names) Songchan and, in his later years, Ping'an Jushi, was a native of Changshu in Jiangsu. He was the zhuangyuan (the top scorer in the imperial examination) in the 6th year (1856) of the Xianfeng reign and rose to the position of Minister of Revenue. He served as the imperial tutor for both the Tongzhi and Guangxu emperors. This piece is a letter album addressed to Zeng Guoquan and others. The brushwork is bold and vigorous, with characters that are broad and expansive, capturing the essence of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphic style.