丰坊

Feng Fang was a Ming dynasty scholar and calligrapher whose life is poorly documented in publicly available sources; both his dates and his native place still await further verification. Judging from the four works held in this collection, his writings concentrate on two fields: calligraphic theory and classical scholarship. Tongxue Shucheng and Shujue belong to the former: the first sets out a step-by-step course of study for beginners in writing, while the second summarizes the essentials of brushwork, character structure, and the emulation of earlier masters in concise, easy-to-follow language. Shujue also circulated in an edition without annotations, which suggests something of its transmission. Shen Pei Shih Shuo turns to classical learning, discussing the Book of Songs under Shen Pei's name and reflecting the Ming scholarly tendency to organize old interpretations and examine the meaning of the classics. His style is brief and practical rather than elaborate, giving his works a guiding, utilitarian character. In common classification these writings fall under social science, Eastern philosophy, and culture, and are suited to readers interested in traditional calligraphy studies and classical scholarship.