Masterpieces of Sung and Yuan Dynasty Calligraphy from the John M. Crawford Jr. Collection
顾洛阜藏宋元书法名迹选萃

Regarded as one of China’s supreme artistic achievements, calligraphy is equal to, if not higher than, painting in the esteem in which connoisseurs of Chinese art hold it. In the years preceding this exhibition, few Western scholars had seriously studied Chinese calligraphy because the art form had no parallels in the Western tradition, making comparisons difficult. As a pioneer collector of Chinese calligraphy in the West, John M. Crawford Jr. was an acknowledged connoisseur. His distinguished collection, at the time considered the largest and finest private collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy in the West, featured calligraphy from the Song (960– 1279) and Yuan (1279–1368) dynasties, the earliest periods from which a number of calligraphic works exist in ink originals rather than on steles. Among the thirteen featured masterpieces on view at China Institute were artworks from outstanding artists such as Huang Tingjian (1045–1105), Mi Fu (1051–1107), Fan Chengda (1126–1193), Zhao Mengjian (1199–1264), and Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), as well as Song dynasty emperors Gaozong (1107–1187) and Lizong (1205–1264). The catalogue was published in an oversized format to enable close study, and a limited edition of offprints from the collection was available for sale. The bulk of the Crawford collection was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.