Letter of Praise and a Request from Shen Liao

CHINA; Song dynasty

This scroll consists of 8 lines with a total of 87 characters. In the letter, Shen Liao expresses his admiration of the recipient’s state of realization and wisdom, as well as his wish to borrow the recipient’s copy of a book entitled Interpreting the Lotus Sutra. Although there is no indication for whom the letter was intended, it is speculated to have been addressed to an eminent monk.
Shen Liao, also known as Ruida, was from Qiantang (present day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). He was proficient in prose and poetry, and was skilled in calligraphy. As an important calligrapher of the Song dynasty (960–1279), Shen’s calligraphy exhibit an alternation between broad and thin strokes, often appearing as if they were strategically composed for a balanced layout. Perhaps because this letter was intended for a monk, there is an interesting relevance in the array of large and small characters written in a humble, rudimentary style. The quality of this work is considered to be superior to his other pieces.