Letter from Mi Fu to Su Shi on Reclaiming a Purple-Gold Inkstone

CHINA; Northern Song dynasty

Mi Fu once loaned Su Shi a purple-gold inkstone, and this letter was written in an attempt to kindly request its return to him. Seven lines of 44 characters comprise the text, in which Mi uses profound and considerably perplexing wording to praise Su’s apparent “pure and wondrous nature.” Although this exhibits Mi Fu’s playful character and the lightheartedness of the request, it also demonstrates how literati at that time used Buddhist terminology and philosophy as a way of complimenting one another.
Mi Fu was a calligrapher and painter of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) who excelled in running script. Though his letters and notes may only consist of a few, short words, their natural directness often impart a quality that is far superior to that of his longer calligraphic pieces. The brushstrokes in this particular work have ample thickness with a variety of upward and downward turns. Both rapid and steady strokes are employed, and each character is liberally developed. Changes in the character layout occur naturally without a hint of deliberation or worry. This letter is considered an important work of calligraphy from Mi Fu’s later period, constituting one of his representative works featuring letters in running script.