The Orchid Pavilion Preface with the Mark of Shenlong
Acclaimed as the "greatest work in running script under heaven", The Orchid Pavilion Preface is a masterpiece by Wang Xizhi, a renowned calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420).
The original work has been lost, but many duplicates have been preserved to this day, of which the most famous is The Orchid Pavilion Preface with the mark of Shenlong.
Most agree that this piece was a copy by Feng Chengsu, a rubbing expert in the Tang Dynasty. The calligraphic work was so named because it carries the halved seal of Shenlong, the reign title of Li Xian, or Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty.
The literati in the Eastern Jin Dynasty often held meetings known as yaji (elegant gatherings).
In 353, Wang Xizhi and a group of his friends performed xiuxi (a ritual to pray for blessings and ward off disasters by bathing and playing in rivers in ancient China) at the Orchid Pavilion. There, they basked in the spring breeze in hopes of escaping misfortune.
They sat by a running stream and floated a wine cup on it. When the cup stopped before a person, he had to drink the wine and compose a poem. This practice was known as "drifting cups on a meandering stream".
The poems they composed were later made into a collection, with Wang Xizhi writing a preface for it to describe the scene of the gathering and express his feelings. From then on, "drifting cups on a meandering stream" gradually became an elegant pastime popular among the literati.
The Orchid Pavilion Preface with the mark of Shenlong is an exquisite copy featuring fluent and dynamic strokes, which not only maintains the changes on the original work, but also displays the charm of free writing and high artistic value.
神龍本《蘭亭序》
《蘭亭序》是東晉書法家王羲之的名作，被譽為“天下第一行書”。原作已不知所終，有眾多復本傳世。其中最著名的神龍本《蘭亭序》，相傳為唐代拓書人馮承素勾摹。因畫心首尾分別有唐中宗李顯的神龍年號半印，故稱“神龍本”。
東晉文人流行雅集活動。永和九年（353），王羲之與多位友人在蘭亭行修禊（xì)之禮（中國古代的一種風俗，到水邊洗濯嬉游，并舉行祈福消災的儀式），沐浴春風，去除晦氣和不祥。他們圍坐在流水邊，將盛滿酒的羽觴順水漂下，羽觴受阻停在誰面前，誰就要飲酒作詩，此即曲水流觴。詩匯成詩集，由王羲之現場作序，記錄當時盛況并抒發內心感慨。曲水流觴也因此逐漸成為一種文人雅事。
神龍本《蘭亭序》摹寫精美，字的筆畫結構自然生動，既保留了原作的改寫痕跡，又像自由書寫一般充滿神韻，具有極高的藝術價值。
