Lot 99: ZHU YUNMING, MING DYNASTY CALLIGRAPHY SCROLL

Zhu Yunming (祝允明; 1461-1527) Chinese traditional Ink calligraphy on paper, laid to silk, hanging scroll. Signed. Bold lines marked in fluid strokes rest upon the papers creme surface. Tsau Shu calligraphers write swiftly and use many sudden turns and dramatic movements. This style of characters looks more like abstract painting than writing. The writing is attached to a protective scroll and a several official red seals are noted.

Scroll Width: 29 3/8" Length: 104 1/4" Painting Length: 69 5/8" Width: 177 7/8"

Ink on paper

Ming Dynasty

Over all in EXCELLENT condition, with natural imperfection on the medium (paper or silk), regardless from any major damages; includes light blooms, discoloration and minor fading. Consider Normal due to the ages. All lots are sold as is and where is. Lauren Galleries provides condition reports upon request to aide in your bidding decision. No statement regarding age, condition, kind, value, or quality of a lot, whether made orally at the auction or at any other time, or in writing in this catalog or elsewhere, shall be construed to be an express or implied warranty, representation, or assumption of liability. All sales are final, Lauren Galleries does not give refunds based on condition. Lauren Galleries does not perform any shipping or packing services. We do have a list of suggested shippers who gladly provide quotes prior to your bidding. Please visit our webpage for a list of recommended shippers.

Zhu Yunming (祝允明; 1461-1527) was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, writer, and scholar official of the Ming dynasty, known as one of the Four Talents of Wu (Suzhou). Most admired for his accomplishment in calligraphy, he is also a popular cultural figure for his uninhibited lifestyle and iconoclastic thinking. He criticized the orthodox Neo Confucianism of Zhu Xi and admired the philosophy of mind advocated by Wang Yangming. He wrote a large number of essays that criticize traditional values, and was an influence on the iconoclastic philosopher Li Zhi. Zhu was born in 1461 in Changzhou County, modern Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. His courtesy name was Xizhe, and art name Zhishan. Born with a supernumerary thumb on one hand, Zhu gave himself the sobriquet Zhizhi Scholar; zhizhi refers to preaxial polydactyly in Chinese). He was said to have been able to write calligraphy with large characters at the tender age of four and compose poetry by the age of eight. He became a certified student at 16, and succeeded in the provincial examination of 1492, but never passed metropolitan examinations. Zhu was appointed as the county magistrate of Xingning, Guangdong, in 1514. He served as the principal editor of the Gazetteer of Xingning County (in the reign of Zhengde), during his five year term. In 1521, he was promoted to Controller General of Yingtian Prefecture (modern Nanjing). He resigned in less than a year on a plea of illness. He dedicated the rest of his life to writing and died in 1527. Together with Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming and Xu Zhenqing, Zhu was one of the Four Talents of Wu (Suzhou) (吴中四才子), his calligraphy is the most noted in the quartet. He excelled at small standard script (xiaokai), but was of wild cursive (kuangcao) fame. His friends attributed his affinity for this highly expressive calligraphy to his impetuous personality. Zhu was also known as an unorthodox thinker against Neo Confucianism. In his later life, he described himself as a wild man . He finished various collections of miscellaneous notes. Some scholars believe that his work of judgements on historical personalities influenced Li Zhi s Cang Shu.

From the heirloom collections of DR. Wu Guozhen (吳國楨; October 21, 1903-June 6, 1984) was a Chinese political figure and historian, government official who served as mayor of Hankow (1932-1938), mayor of Chung-king (1939-1941), political vice minister of foreign affairs (1943-1945), mayor of Shanghai (1946-1948), and governor of Taiwan (1950-1952) and the former Chairman of Taiwan Provincial Government. He resigned in 1953 and went to the United States. K.C. Wu lived in the United States where he served as professor of Chinese history at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia. During his time in the United States, he wrote various works, including a detailed analysis on Chinese culture in the context of mythology and early history in his book The Chinese Heritage. The second part collections of DR. Wu Guozhen (吳國楨) presented and offered up to auctions: ON DAY-1: From Lot-97 through Lot-124, and continued from Lot-204 through Lot-228. ON DAY-2: from Lot-357 through Lot-386.

The Sale Will Benefit for Momentum Church, GA