The Making of a National Treasure I

These objects are further divided and classified into three groups, from the most important one of “National Treasures” to that of “Significant Historic Artifacts (Significant Antiquities)” and finally “General Historic Artifacts (General Antiquities).”   

This work, originally a personal letter written by Wang, is mostly in running script but also has the formalities of regular script, exhibiting a spirit of ease that is neither too quick nor too hesitant and has fluid beauty.

No originals by Wang survive today, but this work as a faithful tracing copy from the Tang dynasty (608-907) serves as one of the most important pieces of visual evidence for later generations to understand his calligraphy. 

The quality of this piece is exceptional, its collection history fully documented as well. For example, collection seals of Emperor Gaozong in the Southern Song, Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin dynasty, the Yuan imperial court, and the Ming dynasty appear on this work. 

Then it became one of the “Three Rarities” of the Qianlong emperor in the Qing dynasty, making it of exceptional historic, cultural and artistic value.

This piece of calligraphy, also called “Xingbie,” is actually a precise copy made by outlines filled with ink. The method involved delicately tracing the strokes of the original and then carefully filling them with ink, representing one of the ways in which reproductions were made in ancient times. 

On the frontispiece at the right is a title slip in the “slender gold” script of the Song emperor Huizong (1082-1135) and the seals of his court. 

The contents are a letter written by Wang Xizhi to Zhou Fu (293-365), the Regional Inspector of Yizhou. 

The engraved “Shiqi” modelbook from the Tang dynasty also includes this letter, but the lines in that carving are stiffer and lacking the delicate variations of brushwork shown here. Having lost the appearance of Wang’s original, the engraving cannot compare to the form and spirit of this superb tracing copy.

This painting depicts a herd of deer frolicking and at rest among a dense grove of maple trees in autumn with white birch scattered here and there as well. The painting conveys the flourishing scene of an autumn day somewhere to the north. 

The deer were completely rendered in light ink and delicate washes, while the trunks and branches of the trees were first delineated with ink and then piled with dense clusters of leaves in outlines. 

The style and dimensions of this painting are quite similar to those of another work in the National Palace Museum (“Herd of Deer in a Maple Grove,” verified and declared a National Treasure in 2012). Neither has the seal or signature of the artist, and it is now assumed that both came from the same original set of paintings.