Pei wen zhai shu hua pu

Abstract

In 1705, the emperor Kangxi commissioned several officials to compile a comprehensive work on calligraphy and painting, which upon its completion in 1708 was titled "Peiwen Zhai Shuhua Pu." This work encompassed a vast body of literature including classics, official histories, miscellanies, and rare titles, with a bibliography totalling 1,844 titles. Forty-two of the 100 zhuan (folios) are devoted to painting, the rest to calligraphy: 11-18, discussions of painting style, method, theory and grading; 45-58, painters' biographies; 65-66, colophons on Kangxi's paintings; 81-87, colophons on famous paintings; 90, the authentication of problem paintings; 95-100, famous collections of paintings