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Su Shi's Birthday Ceremony (Zhu Song Su Wenzhong gong shengri tu 祝宋蘇文忠公生日圖),

1842 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Kong Zhaoduo 孔昭鐸, painter (landscape), attributed to, active late Qing dynasty
Shen Jie 沈捷, carver, attributed to, active late Qing dynasty
Chinese
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
y1958-249

Information

Title
Su Shi's Birthday Ceremony (Zhu Song Su Wenzhong gong shengri tu 祝宋蘇文忠公生日圖)
Dates

1842 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Maker
Kong Zhaoduo 孔昭鐸 , painter (landscape), attributed to
Shen Jie 沈捷 , carver, attributed to
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink rubbing on paper
Dimensions
image: 51.5 x 115.2 cm. (20 1/4 x 45 3/8 in.) 56.2 x 129.8 cm. (22 1/8 x 51 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of George Rowley
Object Number
y1958-249
Place Made

Asia, China

Inscription
壬寅十二月十九日復會于文遊臺為宋蘇文忠公作生日與會者十二人:揚河通判桐城張用熙 捧[觴]進真一酒、高郵知州湘鄉左輝春祝[辯]香、高郵學正吳縣蔣錫琳執三爵分獻王孫[余] 三賢前、宿州訓導宋茂初獻梅花、封戶部主事王敬之獻陽羡茶、歲貢生周敘獻鱸魚、翰 林院庶吉士高鴻飛獻二紅飯、歲貢生夏崑林獻[燒]筍、光祿寺典簿賈和鈞獻花豬肉、候 選訓導周兆椿㨻鼓、文學生吳慶*吹洞簫(八人皆郵士)江寧布衣何詠吹鐵笛。禮成樂 作分體賦詩遂為圖而鐫諸石。 Notes: 1. The twelve men portrayed standing in the hall: Zhang Yongxi 張用熙 (late Qing dynasty) Subprefectural Magistrate (tongpan 通判) of Yanghe 揚河from Tongcheng桐城; compiled the Xuzeng Gaoyou zhou zhi 續增高郵州志 (1843) gazetteer along with Zuo Huichun 左輝春, Song Maochu 宋茂初, and Gao Hongfei 高鴻飛, who are also portrayed here. He presents a shang(?) 觴 vessel(s) and zhenyijiu 真一酒wine. When Su Shi lived in Lingnan 嶺南, he brewed this type of wine and also wrote a “Zhenyi jiu” poem. Zuo Huichun 左輝春 (late Qing dynasty) Prefectural Administrator (zhizhou 知州) of Gaoyou 高郵, who was from Xiangxiang 湘鄉, Hunan province. He presents some incense(?). Jiang Xilin 蔣錫琳 (late Qing dynasty) Instructor (xuezheng 學正) of Gaoyou 高郵, from Wu county (Wu xian 吳縣); husband of the writer and painter Wu Hui 吳蕙. Song Maochu 宋茂初 (1794 juren degree) zi: Shifu 實甫, from Gaoyou. Assistant Instructor (xundao 訓導) of Suzhou宿州, Anhui province. He presents plum blossoms. Wang Jingzhi 王敬之 (1778-1856) [east, right] zi: Kuanfu 寬甫, Zhongke 仲恪; native of Gaoyou高郵, Jiangsu. Recommended candidate (gongsheng 貢生); poet. Secretary (zhushi 主事) in the Ministry of Revenue (hubu 戶部). Calligrapher; author of Xiao yan ji 小言集. He presents yangxiancha 陽羡茶 tea, which is produced in Yixing 宜興, Jiangsu province. Zhou Mu 周敘 (late Qing dynasty) Tribute Student (suigongsheng 歲貢生). He presents perch (luyu 鱸魚). Gao Hongfei 高鴻飛 (d. 1853). zi: Boluan 伯鸞, hao: Nanqing 南卿, from Gaoyou; a Hanlin Bacelor (Hanlin shujishi 翰林院庶吉士). He presents erhongfan 二紅飯 rice. When Su Shi was living in Huangzhou 黃州 (present-day Huanggang 黃岡, Hubei province), where he tilled the Eastern Slope (Dongpo ), he composed many works, including “Erhongfan.” Xia Kunlin 夏崑林 (late Qing dynasty) Tribute Student (suigongsheng 歲貢生). He offers cooked bamboo (shao sun [燒]筍). Jia Hejun 賈和鈞 (late Qing dynasty) Court of Imperial Entertainments (guanglusi 光祿寺) Archivist(dianbu典簿). He presents pork (huazhu rou 花豬肉). Zhou Zhaochun 周兆椿 (late Qing dynasty) Assistant Instructor (xundao 訓導) of Houxuan 候選, who was from Gaoyou. He strikes the drum. Wu Qing* 吳慶* (unidentified, late Qing dynasty) Academy student (wenxuesheng文學生) He Yong何詠 (late Qing dynasty). He carries a vertical flute (dongxiao 洞簫) Commoner (buyi布衣) of Jiangning 江寧 district in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. He carries an iron flute (tiedi 鐵笛).
Description

View into a courtyard at the Terrace of Literary Travels (Wenyu Tai 文遊臺) in Gaoyou 高郵, Jiangsu province. Standing in the courtyard are two trees, an open hall in the back, and side galleries. In the hall are twelve standing men, five on each side leading back to an altar set with four commemorative tablets. Two men stand before a front table set with offerings. Each of the men wears an official robe with a rank badge, and each bears offerings or is playing an instrument. Below the hall’s front steps are six attendants, four on the right and two on the left. The names, titles, and the offerings or instrument that each man in the hall carries is recorded in the unsigned inscription at far left. Eight of the men are from the Gaoyou area.

Although the inscription is undated, in 1842 the Prefectural Department Magistrate (zhoumu 州牧) of Gaoyou 高郵 Zuo Huichun 左輝春 (late Qing dynasty), one of the men pictured in the scene, completed repairs on the Terrace. He had carved stones set into the walls. In front was the Spring Festival of Purification at the Terrace of Literary Travels stone (PUAM y1958-248) and the pictorial stone that was the base for this rubbing. Five of the men pictured in Su Shi’s Birthday are also portrayed in Spring Festival, and one man, He Yong何詠 (late Qing dynasty), is pictured here, while two of his sons are depicted in Spring Festival (although He Yung is mentioned in its inscription). In the back of the hall was a portrait of Su Shi (東坡小像), and to the sides were calligraphy by Su Shi and Huang Tingjian. The carved stone from which this rubbing was taken is currently located in the complex that includes the Wenyou Tai terrace, but is now set in a wall of the Hezan Tang 盍簪堂 hall compound.

Stylistic comparison between Su Shi's Birthday and Spring Festival, indicates that that the landscape painter, calligrapher, and carver likely were the same. In Spring Festival the landscape painter was identified as Kong Zhaoduo and the carver as Shen Jie.

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