Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

A Fine Forgery: The Yellow Court Classic Revisited

Qijun ShenSchool of Architecture and Art, Central South University, No. 932, Lushan South Road, Changsha Hunan, China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Questions arising from the authorship of the Yellow Court Classic have confronted art historians since the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127): who produced it; what is the authentic work of Wang Xizhi (303-361); what are the forgeries? With a focus on the so-called Xin Tai Ping version, once collected by Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322) and now held by the Gotoh Museum in Tokyo, this paper argues that it is a fine forgery among the multiple versions of the Yellow Court Classic. Through a close reading of the colophons, I attempt to map out the collecting history of the XTP version and why it was prized by connoisseurs over the centuries. I then compare it with the other two versions and Zhou You's (151-230) work, primarily in terms of calligraphic style, to further demonstrate why the XTP version is the best and the closest version to the work of Wang Xizhi.

Keywords: The Yellow Court Classic; Wang Xizhi; calligraphy style; forgery
Published: May 17, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/3/20221029
Volume: CHR Vol.3
pp. 978-985
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