祝允明(西元一四六0-一五二六年),字希哲,號枝指生,或枝指山人、枝山,長洲(今蘇州)人。五歲能寫勁尺大字,九歲能詩,稍長以古文名吳中。有「無所不學,無所不詣」之譽,晚年以狂草最引人注意。 允明能作數家體,用筆結字富於變化。此卷落筆迅疾,字間多連貫,筆勢左右開展,行間自由錯列,疏密處形成強烈對比。&*Chu Yun-ming, a native of Soochow, was said to have been able to write large character calligraphy at the tender age of four and compose poetry by the age of eight. As he grew up, he became famous for ancient prose in the Soochow area. He was also praised for his all-around scholarship and in later years for his wild cursive script. Chu Yun-ming was gifted at various script types, and the forms of his characters were noted for their great variety. In this handscroll, the application of the brush was quick as the characters appear to ebb and flow together. The brush force expands out left and right, and the spacing between the lines varies. The contrast between open and closed spaces in and between the characters also creates dynamism.&*故宮書畫錄(卷一),第一冊,頁105。&*石渠寶笈初編(御書房),下冊,頁937。&*1.〈明祝允明七言律詩〉,收入國立故宮博物院編輯委員會編,《名寶上珍》(臺北:國立故宮博物院,1995年初版一刷),頁186。 2.何傳馨,〈明祝允明七言律詩〉,《故宮文物月刊》,第200期(1999年11月),頁70-71。