"Family Letters" page, Yuan Dynasty, original calligraphy by Deng Wen, paper, length 31.2cm, width 34.5cm, running script. Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
Explanation:
Deng Shanzhi's letter home from Ping'an was sent to Qianshan Prefecture on the fifth day of April. On the 16th, Xinzhou received the letter from your mother on the third day of the lunar month and found out that my son had not returned from visiting the grave. The letter of mercy paid has not yet arrived. Li Jingcheng said that he still stayed in Hangzhou. The old man arrived at Yushan on the seventeenth day, stayed for ten days, passed Yongfeng, and five days later passed Qianshan. From then on, he passed through Dexing before returning to Si. The sun is getting brighter and I don’t have any trousers. I’m afraid I won’t be able to return until later in the year. I wonder if your mother can come to Wanling? Now because Li Gongliang of Fujian Province has moved his book and history to the west of Zhejiang, I write this to report peace. I miss everything at home and everything is well, with not much left over. On April 4th, my father wrote to Qingchang and his wife.
There are the collection seals "Al Xipu's Seal" and "Yueqin Shu to relieve the summer".
The author describes his experience in his home letters, and the place names involved include Qianshan, Xinzhou, Yushan, Yongfeng, Dexing, etc. In the Yuan Dynasty, they all belonged to Jiankang Road in Jiangdong, and are now part of Anhui, Jiangxi and other provinces. The name of "Qingchang" in the article is Deng Yan, which is appended to the name of Deng in the "History of the Yuan Dynasty".
The brushwork used in this post is exquisite, and has the style of Jin people. The brushwork is light, lively and graceful, without losing the style of the ancients. The brush strokes are subtle and slightly sharp, giving people a sense of freshness and gracefulness. The rhyme is strong and measured, and the artistic level is high. Therefore, Huang Ming called Deng Wenyuan: "He is good at writing letters and is as famous as Duke Wei of Zhao."
