Artist: Zhang Ruitu (1570-1641)
Date: Ming (1368-1644), dated 1638
Dimensions: Height 426.5 cm, Width 25.8 cm
Material: Ink on silk
Zhang Ruitu, also known by his zi (courtesy name) Changgong and his hao (literary name) Ershui, Guoting Shanren, etc., was a native of Jinjiang, Fujian. He rose to the position of Minister of Rites. As a painter, he showed exceptional skills; as a calligrapher, he was ranked alongside Dong Qichang, Xing Tong, and Mi Wanzhong: they were collectively referred to as the Four Masters of the Late Ming. This work features calligraphy of a poem by Yu Xin (courtesy name Zishan), written in the Wuyin year of the Chongzhen era (1638), when the calligrapher was sixty-nine years old. It exemplifies the spontaneous, unrestrained, and free-spirited style characteristic of Zhang's later years.
