Japanese scientists discovered a rare copy of a piece of work by a IV th century calligrapher.
The Tokyo National Museum will hold an exhibition, dedicated to Wang Xizhi, a IV th century Chinese calligraphy master, nicknamed «the God of Calligraphy». The exposition will feature a recently discovered copy of the master’s chef-d’oeuvre, dated VI-VIII centuries.
This artifact is invaluable because not a single original work of the Chinese master survived till this day. Wang Xizhi was highly appreciated during his lifetime. We can study his techniques only by analyzing high-quality copies. Last time they were found nearly forty years ago.
The 26×10 cm masterpiece is the property of a Japanese collector, whose identity is kept in secret. There are 26 hieroglyphs arranged in three columns. Experts believe them to be an excerpt from a letter by Wang Xizhi, for they include phrases, known to have been frequently used by the calligrapher, such as «Every day I get tired», «I live only for you», as well as some names of his relatives, his son, for instance.
Originally it was considered to be the work of a Japanese calligrapher. However, a study by Yun Tuomita, an expert in Chinese calligraphy, proved it to be a skillful copy of Wang Xizhi’s work. Most of such copies are over one thousand years old; some of them are kept in Japan and considered to be part of the country’s national patrimony. Allegedly, this copy came to Japan in VII-VIII th centuries through Chinese trading and diplomatic trips.
The exhibition, dedicated to Wang Xizhi and his impact on the future generations of calligraphers will be held until March, 3rd.
Wang Xizhi Calligraphy Photo: Claro Cortes IV / Reuters, archive
