Four Poems: Calligraphy in Cursive Script (xingshu) (1500s-1600s): Art, History and Details

Four Poems: Calligraphy in Cursive Script (xingshu) (1500s-1600s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Chen Jiru (Chinese, 1558–1639).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Written in graceful calligraphy with well-composed characters, the artist communicates his thoughts and state of mind in four poems. Characters written in dark, thick strokes convey rhythm, and indicate the moment after the writer had paused to recharge his brush with ink. Chen Jiru was a native of Huating (modern Shanghai). His calligraphy style resembles that of his friend, influential calligrapher Dong Qichang (1555–1636). Unlike Dong, Chen did not pursue government service: he burned his Confucian robes, declined a summons to serve at court, and immersed himself in literature, calligraphy, and painting.

Object facts

• Title: Four Poems: Calligraphy in Cursive Script (xingshu)
• Date: 1500s-1600s
• Creator attribution: Chen Jiru (Chinese, 1558–1639)
• Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
• Type: Calligraphy
• Technique: handscroll; ink on gold speckled paper
• Dimensions: Calligraphy section: 27 x 195 cm (10 5/8 x 76 3/4 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Handscroll
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 2004.65

Collection credit

Gift of Dr. Roger Y.K. and Mrs. Evangeline C. Hsu, Dr. Daphne T. Hsu, and Dr. Jeffrey T. Hsu in honor of Dr. Ju-hsi Chou

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.