Lot 8000: Liu Chunlin (1872-1944), Zhu Ruzhen (1870-1940), Shang Yanliu (1874-1963), Zhang Qihou (1873-1944), Four Calligraphy in Running Script

Four Calligraphy in Running Script
Four scrolls, mounted for framing, ink on paper, all dedicate to Dazu, a)Liu Chunlin, signed Liu Chunlin, with two seals of the artist Liu Chunlin zi Runqin and jiachen Zhuangyuan; b)Zhu Ruzhen, signed Zhu Ruzhen, with two artist's seals reading Zhu Ruzhen yin and jiachen Bangyan; c)Shang Yanliu, signed Shang Yanliu, followed by two artist's seals reading Shang Yanliu yin and jiachen Tanhua; d)Zhang Qihou, signed Zhang Qihou, with two artist's seals reading Zhang Qihou yin and jiachen Chuanlu.
52 x 12 7/8in (132.1 x 32.7cm) each

Footnotes

• 劉春霖 朱汝珍 商衍鎏 張啟後 行書書法 水墨紙本 鏡片四幅
  
  These four panels of calligraphy represent a fascinating historical record relating to the Imperial Examinations and the prestige and fame which Qing dynasty society accorded to the men who achieved the highest scores. The calligraphy set is written by the four highest scorers in what would be the final Imperial Examination in 1904 (jiachen year). The seals following their signatures indicate their winning ranks--Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, Tanhua and Chuanlu respectively:
  
  Liu Chunlin, Zhuangyuan, first place, Su Shi's poem Ciyun guanling songyu (次韻關令松魚);
  Liu Ruzhen, Bangyan, second place, Wang Zhideng's partial inscription on Wang Xizhi Kuaixue shiqin tie;
  Shang Yanliu, Tanhua, third place, Lu You's poem Jianmen daozhong yu weiyu (劍門道中遇微雨);
  Zhang Qihou, Chuanlu, fourth place, Wang Wei's poem Tong Cui Xingzong song Hengyue yuangong nangui (同崔興宗送衡岳瑗公南歸)
  
  A similar example is in the collection of the Shenzhen Museum and was exhibited at the Capitol Museum in Beijing in 2013. Two further groups of calligraphy by the same artists were sold at Sotheby's, the first at Sotheby's Hong Kong 6 April, 2015, sale 0567, lot 1405. Another set was sold at Sotheby's New York, 15 September 2016, sale 09546, lot 833.