Lan Ting Xu 蘭亭集序

QING PERIOD 1644 to 1911

A MAGNIFICENT RARE ANTIQUE LAN TING XU 蘭亭集序BAMBOO BRUSHPOT


The brush pot standing on three feet Carved around with the complete Lan Ting Prologue 蘭亭集序 Lantingji Xu by Wang Xizhi.
Carved in high relief each character a triumphant tribute of a master carver to what is considered ' The Greatest Work of Chinese Calligraphy that was ever written in the semi-cursive style.'
The “Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion”, also known as “Lanting Xu” or “Lantingji Xu”.
There are examples of the Lan Ting Xu painted on ceramic brush pots, after extensive research on the net, books, museum collections etc.
I have not been able to find another example of a bamboo brush pot carved with the complete Lan Ting Xu.

This sensational Lan Ting Prologue Bamboo Brush Pot is an Unparalleled Tour de Force .

A RARE UNIQUE TREASURE

The Lan Ting Prologue 蘭亭集序

"In the ninth year of the Yǒng-hé (353 CE), at the beginning of the third moon, on this late spring day we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the Guì-jī, Shanyin (present-day Shaoxing (紹興) of Zhejiang (浙江) province), for the purification ritual.

All the literati have finally arrived. Young and old ones have come together.

Overlooking us are lofty mountains and steep peaks. Around us are dense wood and slender bamboos, as well as limpid swift stream flowing around which reflected the sunlight as it flowed past either side of the pavilion.

Taking advantage of this, we sit by the stream drinking from wine cups which float gently on the water. Despite of the absence of the grandeur of musical accompaniment, drinking wine and chanting poems give us delight and allow us to exchange our deep feelings.

As for this day, the sky is bright, the air is fresh and the breeze is mild and bracing. Looking up, we admire the beauty of the sky and wonder at the immensity of the universe.

Looking around us, we see the myriad variety and wonder at their extraordinary diversity. Stretching our sights and freeing our minds, we can stretch the pleasures of our senses (of sight and sound) to the limit. This is really delighting!

People gather together, in a blink, life passes by. Some find relief in freeing their thought and hopes and discuss their ambitions in (the quiet atmosphere of) a study or closet. Some free themselves from the shackles of their body in their search for spiritual refuge.

Despite the interests and moods are widely different, tranquillity and recklessness are not the same, we all share one thing: whatever circumstances we meet, we can get some fleeting happiness, and there for just a moment, in self-satisfaction, making us hardly realize how fast we grow old.

When we become tired of our desires and the circumstances changes, disappointment and grief will come. As for all that happiness, in a blink of time, it is already a past tantalizing memory. We cannot help but lament and act in accordance with our emotions. Whether life is long or short is up to destiny, but in the end return to nothingness.

The ancients said, ‘Birth and death are big events.’ How could it not be agonizing? And look at the cause of sentiment of the ancients, it shows the same origin. We can hardly not mourn before their scripts although our feelings cannot be verbalized.

Of one thing I am quite sure: it is foolish to believe that life and death are one, or that long-life can be equated with early death. The future generations will look upon us just like we look upon the past. How sad!"

Formerly the property of a Japanese collector

Condition : Excellent. Age Hairlines commensurate with age.
Please refer to the images for details as they also form the description.

Depending on your computer monitor / phone / etc colour may vary to actual

Dimensions are maximum measurements
Height about : 16.7 cm
Diameter about: 13.3 cm
Weight: 448 grams

A$2,000

Wang Xizhi was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, general and writer during the Jin dynasty. He was best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Wang is sometimes regarded as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in Chinese history, and was a master of all forms of Chinese calligraphy, especially the running script.

Furthermore, he is known as one of the Four Talented Calligraphers in Chinese calligraphy. Emperor Taizong of Tang admired his works so much that the original Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion was said to be buried with the emperor in his mausoleum.

In addition to the artistic talent in which he continues to be held in high esteem in modern China, he has been and remains an influential figure in East Asian calligraphy, particularly Japanese calligraphy.