Terms and conditions of use
Calligraphy
(書法)
(19th century)
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Measurements
- (a) 138.3 × 33.5 cm (image) (right scroll)
(b) 138.1 × 33.6 cm (image) (left scroll) - Place/s of Execution
- China
- Inscription
- (a) inscribed in ink (in image) u.c.r.: 芝 生六兄雅正
inscribed in ink on reverse u.c.l. : 戴醇士對
inscribed in ink (in Chinese characters) on reverse u.c.l.:
inscribed in ink (in Chinese characters) on reverse u.c.l.:
(b) inscribed in ink (in image) c.l.: 戴熙
stamped in red ink c.l.: 戴熙
stamped in red ink (in seal script) c.l.: 醇士
inscribed in ink on reverse u.c.l. : 戴醇士對
stamped in red ink (in Chinese characters) on reverse u.c.l.:
stamped in red ink (in Chinese characters) on reverse u.c.l.: - Accession Number
- 1712.a-b-D4
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1956
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation - Gallery location
- Not on display
- Physical description
- (a) This piece of calligraphy is one of a pair. It is placed on the right side of the pair and is read first, as Chinese is read from right to left. It is written in seven Chinese characters in the regular and semi-cursive style of calligraphy. This vertical piece of calligraphy is also the first line of a couplet of poems, echoed and balanced by the second line of the couplet. Read from top to bottom: 花深曲徑春無盡 is translated as ‘Flowers deep into the winding path of forever spring (lit. spring without end)’. The characters are well spaced and are elegantly written in the regular semi-cursive style of Chinese calligraphy. There is rhythmic flow expressing the writer as a gentle and sensitive man. (b) This piece of calligraphy is one of a pair. It is placed on the left side of the pair and is read last, as Chinese is read from right to left. It is written in seven Chinese characters in the regular and semi-cursive style of Chinese calligraphy. This piece of calligraphy is also the second line of a couplet of poetry, echoing and matching in meaning the seven characters in the first line of the couplet. Read from top to bottom: 路梅仙榴 眼更明 is translated as ‘In the path plum blossoms and immortal pomegranates the eyes become even brighter’. This second line matches the first line of the couplet: 花深曲徑春無盡 translated as ‘Flowers deep into the winding path of forever spring (lit. spring without end) ‘. The first two characters in each line such as 路梅 meaning ‘In the path plum blossoms’. In the second line on the left matches the first two characters 花深 meaning ‘Flowers deep into’ in the first line on the right. Similarly, the third and fourth characters 仙榴 meaning ‘immortal pomegranates’ in the second line matches the third and fourth characters 曲徑 meaning ‘the winding path’ in the first line. The fifth character 眼 meaning ‘eyes’ in the second line matches the fifth character 春 meaning ‘spring’ in the first line. Finally, the last two characters 更明 meaning ‘even brighter’ in the second line matches the last two characters 無盡 meaning ‘forever or without ending’ in the first line. The characters are well spaced and are elegantly written in the regular and semi-cursive style of Chinese calligraphy. There is a rhythmic flow expressing the writer as a gentle and sensitive man.
