Calligraphy Fan in Xiao Kai Shu Script

Du Dazhong, a Ming official, was a noted calligrapher from Suzhou and a member of the Wu school group of writers and artists associated with calligrapher Wang Zhiteng (1535–1612). This calligraphy fan, carefully written in small regular script (xiao kai shu), is the re-creation of a prose poem composed by the Tang poet Yang Jiong (650–c. 694) titled “Prose Poem While Leaning on the Study Desk, ” which the poet wrote on a paper fan in a moment of inspiration after gazing upon mountain peaks shrouded in mist and rain. The verse recounts the serious rigor of true scholarship. A few lines read: [Scholars] have exerted themselves in study, questing after improvement . . . How can a scholar sleep in peaceful withdrawal . . . Let him emulate the national craftsmen and develop their skill. May he model himself on mountains and forests, taking them as his pattern . . .