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淳化祕閣法帖考正

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Text ID
KR2n0044
Date
1711–1743
Dynasty
清

Chúnhuà mìgé fǎtiè kǎozhèng 淳化祕閣法帖考正

Critical Examination of the Imperial Cabinet’s Chúnhuà Calligraphy Anthology

by 王澍 (Wáng Shù, 1668–1743)

About the work

A 12-juan + 1-juan-appendix critical examination of the imperial Chúnhuà gétiè 淳化閣帖, on the model of Mǐ Fú, Huáng Bósī, Gù Cóngyì, Hé Zhuó 何焯, and Xú Bǎoguāng 徐葆光, with Wáng Shù’s own additions and adjudications. Wáng was one of the leading Kāngxī-era fǎtiè connoisseurs. Following the fǎtiè critical tradition: Mǐ Fú was the originator (Yuányòu era); Huáng Bósī’s Fǎtiè kānwù KR2n0014 supplied evidential foundations; Gù Cóngyì’s Fǎtiè shìwén kǎoyì KR2n0031 (Míng) supplied detailed character-checking; Hé Zhuó (Qing Kāngxī) added Jiāng Kuí’s Jiàngtiè píng KR2n0019 notes as marginalia; Xú Bǎoguāng (Qing Yōngzhèng) added further from various sources. Wáng now further researches all these and adjudicates: using the historical record to correct factual errors; using the calligraphy itself to identify forgeries; and checking hángkuǎn (line-and-style), biāomù (heading), and shìwén (transcription) one by one. The arrangement follows the original Gétiè’s 10 juan; juan 11 is Gǔjīn fǎtiè kǎo 古今法帖考 (history of calligraphy anthologies generally); juan 12 (separately appended) is bǐfǎ (calligraphic technique). The Sìkù editors situate it: not equal to the imperial Qīndìng chóngkè KR2n0035 of 1769, but “as the first wheels make the chariot, as small grains make Mt. Tài, this work too can support the work” — an important predecessor of the imperial collation.

Tiyao

[Translated and condensed from the Sìkù tíyào]

Compiled by Wáng Shù of the present (Qing) dynasty. Shù is also the author of Yǔgòng pǔ (already catalogued).

In the Yuányòu era of Sòng, Mǐ Fú made the Fǎtiè tíbá — to distinguish the genuine from the false. But Mǐ was a refined connoisseur and judged from the brush-stroke alone, by intuition; though qízhū bùshuǎng (not even a hair’s-breadth off), he was unable to set out clearly his evidence. In the Dàguān era Huáng Bósī made the Fǎtiè kānwù, drawing on historical records to correct errors — testimony based — black and white clearly distinct. In the Jiājìng era of Míng, Shànghǎi Gù Cóngyì further checked character by character, on Jiāng Kuí’s Lántíngxù model. Our (Qing) Hé Zhuó added Jiāng Kuí’s Jiàngtiè píng notes. Xú Bǎoguāng then drew further from miscellaneous works to supplement. So the Gétiè’s right-and-wrong, gain-and-loss, has gradually become clear. Wáng Shù’s compilation again researches the various views and adjudicates among them: combining Mǐ, Huáng, and Gù three families’ methods. He uses historical record to correct factual error; he uses calligraphy to expose forgery; for hángkuǎn biāomù and shìwén, all are checked one by one.

The arrangement still follows the fǎtiè original sequence, divided into 10 juan. He further makes a Gǔjīn fǎtiè kǎo in 1 juan tracing the Gétiè’s origin and the various recensions’ transmission. He himself has a bǐfǎ (calligraphic technique) chapter, also appended.

Although the textual research and discrimination, distinction of doubt and falsehood, do not approach 1/10,000 of the imperial Qīndìng edition’s reach — yet the great chariot is built from the wheelbarrow’s first push; Mt. Tài is built from accumulated soil. A work like this is not unworthy of supplementary reference.

Abstract

The Chúnhuà mìgé fǎtiè kǎozhèng is the principal Kāngxī-era critical study of the Chúnhuà gétiè and the immediate scholarly predecessor to the Qiánlóng imperial Qīndìng chóngkè edition KR2n0035. The catalog meta dates 1668–1743 are Wáng’s lifespan; the work is from his post-1711 jìnshì career, set notBefore 1711 / notAfter 1743 here.

The work’s contributions:

  1. Synthesis of three SòngMíng critical lineages (Mǐ Fú aesthetic / Huáng Bósī evidential / Gù Cóngyì philological).
  2. Methodological clarity. Historical record corrects factual errors; calligraphy itself exposes forgeries; hángkuǎn biāomù shìwén one-by-one checked.
  3. History of fǎtiè. Juan 11 Gǔjīn fǎtiè kǎo is a self-contained history of the calligraphy-anthology genre.
  4. Predecessor of imperial collation. The Qing imperial Qīndìng chóngkè draws on Wáng Shù; the Sìkù editors’ “great chariot from wheelbarrow” image acknowledges this.

CBDB 69453 gives 1668–1739; the catalog meta gives 1668–1743. The latter is the standard figure (followed in Hummel and standard reference works), confirmed here.

Translations and research

No English translation. Studies:

  • Hummel (ed.), Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing Period, s.v. “Wang Shu”.
  • Yáng Rénkǎi 楊仁愷, Zhōngguó shūhuà 中國書畫.
  • Robert E. Harrist Jr., The Landscape of Words (Washington UP, 2008).

Other points of interest

The Sìkù editors’ deferential framing — placing Wáng Shù’s labour as a precursor to the imperial Qiánlóng-era collation — is characteristic Sìkù rhetoric on works in the imperial-court specialist disciplines. Modern Chúnhuà gétiè scholarship still uses Wáng’s text as a major Qing pre-imperial evidentialist reference.

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