Portrait of Shen Zhou,

after 1620 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Portrait of Shen Zhou

after 1620 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Anonymous , painter
Wen Jia 文嘉 , calligrapher
Chen Yuansu 陳元素 , calligrapher

Scroll; ink rubbing on paper

image: 27.8 x 89.7 cm. (10 15/16 x 35 5/16 in.) 31.5 x 103.8 cm. (12 3/8 x 40 7/8 in.)

Gift of George Rowley

y1958-178

Asia, China

Wen Jia 文嘉 (1501-1583) 「人謂眼差小，又謂又謂頤太窄，我自 不能知，亦不知其失，面目何足 較，但恐有失德，苟且八十年，今 與死隔壁。」此石田先生自贊也， 偶見幼溪所臨，為錄其上。壬戌[1562]臘八日， 後學文嘉 “ ‘People find fault on his eyes tight-spaced, and also his forehead too narrow, I can neither judge its likeness, nor the distortions. Why bother about the facial appearance; [I am] only afraid of moral defect. Drifting along for eighty years, now I live beside death.’ [trans. by Wenxin Wang, “A Social History of Painting Inscriptions in Ming China (1368-1644),” PhD dissertation (Leiden University, 2016), p. 298.] This is Shitian’s self-description. I happened to see Youxi’s [i.e., possibly Chen Xing 陳省 (1529-1612)] freehand copy [of the portrait] and recorded on it. On the 8th day, 12th month, renxu cyclical year, the houxue official Wen Jia.” Rubbing seals: “Wen Jia yin” 文嘉印, sq. intagio “Wen Xiucheng yin” 文休承印, sq. intagio Chen Yuansu 陳元素 (16th-early 17th century) 世家于長洲之相城，沈氏孟淵者，以儒起家。永樂間 被荐，不受官，終身遯處。好自標置，恒着道衣，逍遙 林舘間，每日設酒食以待賓客，惟恐不至。以其豪 俠比之顧仲瑛云。二子：南齋貞吉、同齋恒吉，皆善 唐律，工染翰，不可以金錢購取，家庭之間自相酬唱。 同齋之子曰石田先生，名周，字啟南，晚更自稱曰白 石翁。至今吳中雖市夫竪子，無不知有白石翁者。大 要得聲翰墨間，其丹青超聖入神，雖北苑、巨然、徐熙 父子復出，弗能過也。書類山谷老人，詩則白香山，兼 情事，雜雅俗。當所意到，亹亹不休。博學無所不通， 多著書，而皆非先生之至者。先生有經世資而不為 用，盖若隱若俠，又恂恂內行，淳備篤實君子也。自其 少時，天才溢發，為文援筆立就則已，不肯治舉子 業，以故得專意讀書。築別業于田間曰「有竹居」，耕 讀其中。佳時勝日，必具酒招友，從容談咲，出所蓄古 圖書器物，相與撫弄品題以為樂。晚歲名益盛，客至 亦益多，戶屨常滿。先生既老，而聰明不衰，酬對終日， 不少厭怠，風流文物，照暎一時，百年來東南文物之 盛，盖莫有過之者。 泰昌改元[1620]長至日，後學陳元素識。 Notes: 1. Chen Yuansu 陳元素 (16th-early 17th century). For his biog., see Mingren zhuanji ziliao suoyin 明人傳記資料索引 (1978), p. 575. Summary: The Shen’s were a prominent family in Xiangcheng 相城, Changzhou 長洲. [The grandfather] was the Confucianist Shen Mengyuan 沈氏孟淵. In the Yongle period (1403-1424), he was recommended but did not serve in office and spent his life as a recluse. He had a good eye and lived carefree in a gardened estate entertaining guests, and he “only feared if nobody came.” In courage he was compared to Gu Zhongying 顧仲瑛 [Yuan dynasty]. He had two sons, Shen Nanzhai 沈南齋 (Shen Zhenzhai 貞吉) and Shen Tongzhai 沈同齋 (Shen Hengji 恒吉), who were good at poetry and the brush and literary arts. They did not sell their works for money. Literary gifts were mutually exchanged between the family members. Shen Nanzhi’s son was Shen Zhou (zi: Qinan 啟南, hao: Shitian 石田, Baishiweng 白 石翁), who was known by everyone in the Wu region. His ink works were in great demand and his painting was divine. Even if Dong Yuan 董源 (act. 937-76), Juran 巨然 (act. 10th century), and Xu Xi 徐熙 (late 9th-before 975) and his sons returned, they could not surpass Shen Zhou. His calligraphy was in the manner of Huang Tingjian 黃庭堅 (1045-1105), and in his poetry Bai Juyi 白居易 (772-846). “Whatever thought entered his mind; he would pursue it relentlessly without rest. He was widely learned and there was nothing he did not know.” He wrote many books, but he also had ability in statecraft, but did not use it. He was also pure and honest. Since youth he was gifted and could write just by lifting his brush. He did not want to study for a government career and focused on studying while also farming. In good times, there was wine for friends and leisurely conversation and he brought out from storage old paintings, calligraphy, and objects, which they enjoyed together. In his late years his reputation grew and he was visited by many; he captured an age. “On the longest day [June 20/21] in the first year of the Taichang reign, recorded by the houxue official Chen Yuansu.” Rubbing seal: “Yuansu” 元素, rect. relief

Xie Songzhou 谢淞洲 (18th century), hao: Lincun 林村, native of Changzhou, Jiangsu province/ “Qinglilüsuo Zhai cang” 青笠綠簑齋藏, rect. relief (right or portrait, upper) “Xie shi Lincun” 謝氏林邨, sq. intaglio (left of portrait, top) Unknown (possibly seal of Xie Songzhou) “Xunchang baixing” 尋常百姓, sq. intaglio (left of portrait, middle) Unknown “****” [damaged], sq. relief (right or portrait, lower) Xiang Yuanbian 項元汴 (1525-1590) “Xiang Zijing jia zhencang”項子京家珍藏, rect. relief (left of portrait, bottom) “Xiang Yuanbian yin” 項元汴印, sq. relief (left of Wen Jia colophon) “Molinsheng” 墨林生, sq. half relief, half intaglio (left of Wen Jia colophon) “Shenyou xinshang” 神游心賞, sq. relief (left of Wen Jia colophon) Miao Yuezao 繆曰藻 (1682-1761) “Lanling” 蘭陵, round relief (left of Chen Yuansu colophon, top) “Wumen Miao shi zhencang” 吳門繆氏珍賞, rect. relief (left of Chen Yuansu colophon, bottom) “Wo’an laoren” 臥菴老人, sq. intaglio (left of Chen Yuansu colophon, middle) [identified as a Miao family seal from its position; this could also be the seal of Zhu Zhichi 朱之赤 (17th century), hao: Wo’an 卧庵]

At right is a half-length portrait of the Ming dynasty artist Shen Zhou 沈周 (1427-1509) wearing a tall-angled hat (jieze 介幘), in a round border. To the left is an 1562 colophon by the painter Wen Jia 文嘉 (1501-1583) that cites Shen Zhou’s comments on his own appearance. The portrait follows a freehand painted copy that possibly belonged Chen Xing 陳省 (1529-1612), onto which Wen Jia added his ink inscription. Further left is a long colophon in two-parts written by Chen Yuansu 陳元素 (16th-early 17th century) in 1620. The carved stone from which this rubbing was taken was carved after a Ming album currently in the Jinmotang Collection 近墨堂 in Hong Kong. In the album, Wen Jia’s colophon appears at upper right above the portrait. The Chen Yuansu appears on a separate album leaf and has a small gap at the center, which was exaggerated and made much wider in the carved stone and rubbing. Many of the seals were also repositioned on the carving, and the number of seals differ.

Chinese

Ming

rubbings

portraits, men, figures (representations)