Ode to the Red Cliff Horizontal handscroll, ink and color on paper, bearing a signature reading Qian Gu with one seal reading Qian shi, with three collectors' seals on the painting, including one of Wang Zhen (1867-1938) reading Yiting dali and one reading Zeng zai fang zengyuan jia; with a frontispiece and colophon by Wu Changshuo (1844-1927) ink on paper, titled in seal script followed by the colophon in running script, dated guichou xia qi yue (1913, summer, seventh month) signed Wu Changshuo Laofou with one calligrapher's seal; mounted together with calligraphy in running script signed Wen Peng (1498-1573), the text comprising the Qianchibi fu (Former Ode to the Red Cliff) signed Sanqiao Wen Peng with two calligrapher's seals reading Wen Shoucheng yin and Wen Peng zhiyin, with two collector's seals on the calligraphy; with an outer title slip by Wang Zhen signed Bailongshanren with a calligrapher's seal Yiting. 11 1/8 x 69 1/2in (28.2 x 176.5cm), the painting only; 11 1/4 x 45 1/2in (28.5 x 115.5cm) the frontispiece; 11 1/8 x 100in (28.2 x 254cm) the calligraphy,转到 Chinese Paintings Go
注脚:(傳) 錢谷 赤壁賦 設色紙本 手卷Provenance:Acquired in Tokyo, late 1950's來源:1950年代購於東京The heritage of the famed Red Cliff in Chinese culture is two-fold. In addition to being the site of a crucial battle during the reign of the Han Emperor Xiandi (208CE), the Red Cliff was the name of a destination for two journeys made by the great Song dynasty poet and calligrapher Su Dongpo (1037-1101), who wrote two famed odes reflecting on the heroes of the battle and his own personal struggles. Setting aside the fact that the two Red Cliffs share only a name and are geographically distinct, the Red Cliff became a source of inspiration for painters and calligraphers for centuries to follow. The present scroll features a depiction of the Su Dongpo's journey in the style of the Ming artist Qian Gu, along with a transcription of the "Ode to the Red Cliff" in the style of the Ming dynasty calligrapher Wen Peng. In the twentieth century, the painting was viewed by the two Shanghai school masters Wu Changshuo and Wang Zhen, who both added their own calligraphy to the scroll.