明/清 朱耷（八大山人） 致方士琯書 冊 紙本|Letters to Fang Shiguan

Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)

datable to ca. 1688–1705 · Album of ten leaves; ink on patterned and plain paper · Asian Art

The tradition of collecting personal letters dates back nearly two millennia in China. It was believed that the intimate space of the letter encouraged a sense of freedom and openness in calligraphers, and the resulting calligraphy was often treasured as a true expression of the artist’s spirit. This album is a collection of letters written by the great painter and calligrapher Zhu Da to his close friend Fang Shiguan (1650–ca. 1711). Fang must have saved them as treasured traces of a friend and gifted artist. At some point, they were mounted together as an album. The letters concern four areas of Zhu’s life: his health; meetings with Fang; exchanges of favors and small gifts; and painting, including both the viewing of other artists’ works and the selling of his own.

Artist

Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)

Date

datable to ca. 1688–1705

Medium

Album of ten leaves; ink on patterned and plain paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of John M. Crawford Jr., 1982