故宮書畫錄(卷八),第四冊,頁10&*沈荃(西元一六二四-一六八四年),華亭(今上海松江)人。字貞蕤,號繹堂,一號位葊,又號充齋。清世祖順治九年(西元一六五二年)探花,官禮部侍郎,諡文恪。學行醇潔,書法有名。 沈荃嘗於聖祖朝奉召入宮,與論古今書法。且下筆正其書,兼析原由,聖祖甚嘉荃之忠益。故凡製碑版或殿廷屏障、御座箴銘,亦皆命書,足見荃之為當朝所重。前人評其書學董其昌,而無其氣韻,但行書功力,仍有可觀之處,尤此巨幅大字,誠屬不易。&*Shen Ch'uan, known also by his style name Chen-jui and sobriquet I-t'ang, was a native of the town of Hua-t'ing near Shanghai. In 1652 he placed third in the exams for entry into the prestigious Han-lin Academy; thereafter he eventually rose to the position of Vice Minister in the Ministry of Rites. He was noted for his honesty and erudition and his accomplishments in the art of calligraphy. Shen Ch'uan was once summoned to an audience with the Sheng-tsu Emperor during which the scholar and emperor discussed the art of calligraphy. Shen used his brush to demonstrate the origins of calligraphy, and the emperor responded by commending Shen's loyalty. Thereafter, whenever a stele or dedicatory plaque was needed for the palace, the emperor summoned Shen to provide the calligraphy. Critics have complained that although Shen followed Tung Ch'i-ch'ang's style, his characters lacked the spirit resonance of Tung's characters. Nonetheless, his running calligraphy still has its own strengths, as is apparent in this large hanging scroll.