Song Book Traces The Bibliographic Research

"The recordation of calligraphy and painting" is a book recording some distinguished calligraphy and painting works of every dynasty in ancient China. While there was no technology of picture-taking and photocopy, handcraft became the only way to copy calligraphy and painting. However, the duplicate must be inferior to the original ones. Consequently, the connoisseurs and collectors had to describe and record in their essays the works that they had appreciated or collected. Such recording books that have been preserved till today are Lun Shu Biao written early by Liusong Yuhe, Zhen Guan Gong Si Hua Shi (The Pubic and Private Painting History in Zhenguan Period) by Pei Xiaoyuan of the early Tang Dynasty, Jin You Jun Wang Xizhi Shu Mu (Bibliography of Jin You Jun Wang Xizhi) by Zhu Suiliang, Er Wang Shu Lu (Recording of Books Written by Two Wangs) by Zhang Huaiguan, Xu Shu Lu by Wei Shu, Li Dai Ming Hua Ji (Recording on Great Paintings of Every Dynasty) by Zhang Yanyuan and so on.Compared with the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was not that powerful, but on the other hand, calligraphy and painting as well as bookmen were respected, causing great achievements in the field. Because of the chaos caused by war in the Tang and Wu Dai Dynasty, cultural relics were damaged terribly. Thus, few could be handed over and seen by people in the Song Dynasty. In order to offset the restriction for highbrows to learn from the original works, Ke Tie prevailed in the times. Besides epigraphy was also established as a knowledge in the Song Dynasty and inscriptions were very popular for the literati to collect. It was in such historical and cultural background that a great number of books recording calligraphy and Ke Tie and inscriptions emerged."The recordation of calligraphy" discussed in this dissertation refers to a book recording and relating calligraphy, painting, Ke Tie and inscriptions, in which almost every detail about Bei Tie (a rubbing from a stone inscription) is involved, including its title, calligrapher, chirography, form of the tablet, content, year of being produced, value and the situation of being collected and popularized etc. Therefore, "the recordations" are of great significance to the study of calligraphy history, calligraphers, Chinese characters, appreciation and collection of calligraphy and to epigraphy as well as historiography.This dissertation is dedicated to a comprehensive research of "the recordations of calligraphy" produced in the Song Dynasty and the argumentation is developed into...