文徵明(西元一四七0至一五五九年),江蘇長洲人。初名壁,字徵明,後以字行。亦字徵仲,號停雲生、衡山居士。詩文書畫並佳,畫師沈周,為明四大家之一。 本幅係文氏七十二歲時作,乃應友人之請,重書友人家訓十節,供其置諸座右。文氏以七十高齡作此,卻無絲毫懈怠處,通篇筆力遒勁,一氣呵成。&*Wen Cheng-ming was a native of Ch'ang-chou, Kiangsu. Originally he was given the name Wen Pi, but established himself with his style name Cheng-ming. Another style name was Cheng-chung and he used T'ing-yun-sheng and Heng-shan chu-jen as his sobriquets. He excelled in poetry, prose, calligraphy and painting. He studied painting under Shen Chou and became known as one of the Four Masters of the Ming dynasty. This scroll was executed when Wen Cheng-ming was seventy-two years old, in compliance with a friend's request to transcribe theTen Paternal Aphorisms of the latter's family. Every brush and every stroke reveals Wen's meticulous attention even at this old age. The vigor and refinement of this calligraphy seem to gain splendor as the work draws towards its end. &*石渠寶笈三編(延春閣),第四冊,頁1897-1899&*故宮書畫錄(卷一),第一冊,頁111-114&*1.江兆申,〈文徵明書過庭復語 卷〉,收入國立故宮博物院編,《吳派畫九十年展》(臺北:國立故宮博物院,1975年初版,1976年再版,1981年三版),頁312。 2.朱惠良,〈四海一家 —本院文物赴美參展「一四九二之際探險時代之藝術」圖錄專輯〉,《故宮文物月刊》,第103期(1991年10月),頁20-21。