Li Bai's Poem

This work lacks a signature, but based on the brush style it has been attributed to Su Shi, one of the four major calligraphers of the Song dynasty. The work was created when Su was 58 years old. According to the colophon by Cai Songnian of the Jin dynasty, when Su Shi met with the Taoist Danyuan (Yao Anshi) in the capital, Su received from Yao a portrait of Li Bai and an example of Li Bai’s work. The poetry referred to in this scroll is not, however, included in extant anthologies of Li Bai’s work. This calligraphy was created in Su’s mid life period, when he had fully established his own style. The brushwork reveals his distinctive “rising right corner” strokes, and is rich in brush power. The text is written with a fully sweeping gait, unfettered by attention to small trivialities of style.