Characters - Treasure Store

CHINA; Ming dynasty

Jingwan, a monk from Yunju Temple of Fangshan, was known to have made a vow to engrave Buddhist sutras onto stone tablets. As a result, this tradition was carried out for several generations by successive monks in the temple, lasting until the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The cave containing the tablets was by that time full, and an alternate cave had to be excavated for additional storage. The storage cave is where this signboard written by Dong Qichang is located. The tablets housed in the treasure store at Fangshan are important resources for the study of the political, economic, and cultural aspects of this period in Chinese history.
Dong Qichang, also known as Xuanzai or Wenmin, was a Ming dynasty painter and calligrapher. His calligraphy is elegant and refined, and often carries a distinctive quality that springs from an otherwise banal appearance. On correspondences, his calligraphy is concise and visually pleasing. His strokes are swift, bold, and forceful, carrying an essence of Mi Fu’s unrestricted and fluid style. The fluidity in Dong’s works is counterbalanced by the firmness displayed in his well-framed compositions, leaving no trace of vagueness. This aspect can be seen in this particular example of Dong’s calligraphy.